Harry Potter and the Chant of Sigefreyding
by Fortuna's Smile
Summary: Sixth Year -a dubious Liaison Officer at Hogwarts, a stronger DA, a failure of the Founders, a missing protection, a distrustful alliance and a Chant of old. WIP
1. In the Summertime

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_**Disclaimer:**_

_**I´m not JK Rowling and I don´t own anything you recognise. The magical world and all its wonderful characters belong to her and whoever else holds the copyrights. I hope to honour her work by staying as close as possible to her style and the guidelines she set. This Disclaimer applies to the whole story as I won´t repeat myself every chapter.**_

_**Author´s Notes:**_

_Like the Disclaimer I won´t repeat this every chapter._

_First, I´m not a native English speaker, in fact I´m trying to improve my English by writing this, and I also don´t have a beta reader, so expect some spelling and grammar mistakes. I´ll __check everything again after I´ve written it, but I won´t catch all the errors._

_Second, I´ll try to stay as true to cannon as I can manage (please tell me how I´m doing), which also means that I don´t sail any "ships". There will be some romance, but I´m not really good at writing that, and this will be Harry Potter –not some mushy love story. And yes, this story has a plot, even if the first two or three chapters seem a bit slow. I´m just setting up the scene._

_Next, the chapters will have a length of about 5000 words each, and there might be some time between them as I need about a week for one, and my Vordiplom is approaching –that´s the exam you write in the middle of your time at university in Germany._

_And last, I won´t write an Author´s Note as long as this again, I always hate it when you think you got a nice long chapter to read and then half of it is Author´s Notes. So I won´t answer to every review I might get, only to direct questions, which hopefully won´t stop you from writing one._

_So here it is:_

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**Harry Potter and the Chant of Sigefreyding**

by Fortuna´s Smile

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**Chapter One – In the Summertime**

It was a late evening in the end of July when a boy sat at the open window of the smallest bedroom in the house of Number 4, Privet Drive, Little Winging, Surrey.

Outside were neighbours, bustling in their gardens, enjoying the cooler air in the end of another long, hot summer day, their voices drifting up to him. Harry Potter, because that was the name of the boy, sighed. Another day had passed, he could make another cross on his makeshift calender. He felt like he had done nothing but waiting since the holidays started. Waiting and thinking.

For, in the end of his last school year, his godfather had died because Harry had been fooled by Voldemort and although he had accepted that he shouldn´t blame himself (like his friends had told him in more than one letter) he still felt guilty sometimes. He had cried over Sirius a few times in the beginning of summer but he had never been one to cry often, even as a child, and so he had settled in some kind of quiet, resigned stupor, only occasionally allowing himself to think of what could have been, had Sirius one day been declared innocent, had invited him to live in his house…

Harry shook himself, he wouldn´t go there, not again, dreaming didn´t help and Sirius certainly didn´t want him to mope around like this. He decided to do something to shake off those thoughts and grabbed once more his defence book.. It was the one that his godfather had given to him last Christmas and Harry was determined to put it to a good use. His blood boiled every time he thought of Bellatrix Lestrange, the murderer of Sirius, and he had vowed to himself, that one day he would get her and avenge Sirius´ death.

But this was another little worry in his head, he had attempted the Cruciatus Curse on her. He hadn´t told anyone about that and there wasn´t anyone else there beside her, but if someone found out, what would happen? Could he be sent to Azkaban for that? And should he maybe have told Dumbledore about it, or should he do so now? Harry was certain, if the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, found out about it, he would make Harry´s life even more miserable than it was now.

While he was concentrating on a complicated spell in the book, that would cast a shield over up to five persons, he suddenly heard the flapping of little wings and when he looked up, there was Ron´s owl Pig, struggling with a large envelope but excited as ever. Grabbing the fluttering bird like a snitch and then untying the letter took Harry only seconds, he was getting used to Pig´s behaviour and had in fact spent an afternoon, when he had been particularly bored, throwing the owl in the air and then catching him again, practising his seeker reflexes. Pig hadn´t seemed to mind and only got more and more excited, and in his next letter Ron had written, that he could catch "that stupid owl only with a butterfly net" anymore.

As Harry opened the envelope a letter and an article cut out from a newspaper fell out. Reading the letter first, he realised it was from Ron and Hermione together. Apparently Hermione´s parents had gone on a cruise for their 20th wedding anniversary and had brought their daughter to the Burrow for the rest of the holidays. The letter was short and not as funny as Ron´s usually were nor as understanding as Hermione´s but instead angry and upset.

When Harry looked at the article, as he was told by his friends, he immediately understood why.

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_**Minister demands loyalty in the light of the return of You-Know-Who **_

_by Crystal Klatsch_

_In the light of the return of You-Know-Who Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge yesterday demanded the loyalty of all members of the wizarding world and of all groups and organisations of wizards and witches, such as the International Confederation of Wizards or the H.Y.O.N.A. (Having-Your-Own-Newspaper-Association). He called the public to support him and the Ministry in these dark times and declared that those who stood with the Ministry needn´t fear because the Ministry had everything under control. Minister Fudge: "I advise all of you not to be afraid. There are only a few of those horrible Death Eaters with Lord –Lord –Lord - Thingy. The Ministry has taken all the necessary steps to protect the wizarding public and has very competent employees solving this problem"._

_Fudge then announced the new post of a Liaison Officer at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as a sign of the close relationship between those two institutions and an example of excellent cooperation for the rest of the wizarding world. Mr Henry Rookwood, who will hold that post, has been working for the Ministry for over twenty years and seems to be one of Minister Fudge´s closest assistants. This new post will replace High Inquisitor Dolores Umbridge. She has taken a leave of absence due to health reasons and the Minister praised her great and valuable work at the school "teaching those children the importance of following Ministry´s orders in case of an emergency because the Ministry guarantees their safety"._

The article carried on like that but Harry was too furious to read further. Angrily pacing his room he kicked one of Dudley´s old toys under the bed.. Luckily there weren´t much of his own things in the open as he hadn´t bothered to unpack his trunk except for his defence books and a few of his clothes. Although his relatives treated him much better than the years before (for example, he was allowed his school things in his room and needn´t follow Dudley´s diet any more, and once Aunt Petunia had even given him some new T-shirts –true, they were a special offer from the local supermarket and had an ugly brown colour, but still), Harry still hoped he would be allowed to leave soon and go to his friend Ron´s. So far the only response to this question in his every-three-days-letters had been to be patient and wait a little longer, but no one had said until when.

Sitting on his bed and taking a deep breath, Harry tried to calm himself down. He had lately gotten really good at that, constantly trying to control his emotions and keeping his temper. He briefly wondered if that was what Snape had meant by clearing his mind.

"Dudley! Sandra! So nice to have you over here! We´ll have a wonderful evening!" the high voice of his Aunt shrieked in the garden.

Harry snorted. He had completely forgotten the Barbecue with their new electric grill his relatives had planned for today. Because Dudley had a girlfriend this summer, Sandra Wheeler. – Harry could not understand why any girl would want to be together with Dudley, and the only time he had seen her didn´t give him a clue about that either, as she didn´t seem to have any mental problems, except for the fact that she was going out with Dudley.

She was extremely shy, - maybe she simply didn´t dare to say no, when Dudley had asked her out – and always polite and smiling nervously.

Harry could hear them outside now, making polite and absolutely boring conversation for "getting to know that lucky girl who is with my little Duddykins", as Aunt Petunia had put it at breakfast, and of course making sure that she was a completely normal girl with a completely normal family and wouldn´t embarrass them in the eyes of the neighbours. Harry, of course, was not invited to the Barbecue; it was only for family, his Uncle had said with a dark look at Harry.

He didn´t mind that too much, he had long ago given up the hope that the Dursleys would ever accept him as a part of family, but listening to them reminded him of his friends, Ron and Hermione, and all the others, the Weasleys, Professor Lupin, the order members, Dumbledore, and the whole rest of Hogwarts.

He needed them, he had never understood that as clearly as this summer, and never had he missed them more. Ron and Hermione were great friends, and Neville, Ginny and Luna as well. They had come with him to the Ministry, even when they knew it would be dangerous, they had followed him and trusted him and they hadn´t turned their back on him, when it became obvious that Harry had been fooled and had led them into mortal danger without need.

Although he would try to keep them out of danger in the future, he knew that they would most probably follow him anyway and he couldn´t help but feel happy and grateful for their friendship and stubbornness.

"So, tell me, Sandra, where did you say your father was working?" – Harry could only pity the girl, apparently she was still interrogated by Aunt Petunia.

"Oh , Mrs Dursley, I don´t think I have mentioned it before, he is working at Brownhards, he´s head of accounting there."

"Ah, I always say there is nothing more important than accuracy and keeping to the facts!" Uncle Vernon said jovially and sounding pleased. "And your mother is staying at home?"

"Yes, Mr Dursley. I have a younger brother, he´s just eleven, and my mother wanted to be home to be there for us."

Harry was at the window now again, watching them talking and eating, but careful to stay out of their sight. He had put Pig into Hedwig´s cage, much to her disapproval, and thrown a blanket over it to keep him from making a racket and to prevent that Dudley´s girlfriend saw owls flying out of the Dursley´s second bedroom..

"Eleven? So he has to go to a new school in fall then? Does he yet know to which school he will go? We were so proud of Dudley when he went to Vernon´s old school, Smeltings!"

Harry could see Sandra fidgeting now, "Oh, he will go to – to - a private school. He - got a grant there – I, erm, - I forgot its name…", she was picking at her T-shirt now, looking at her plate.

Of course the Dursleys didn´t notice a thing, after all had they had believed Dudley to be "drinking tea with his friends", when he was in fact out smoking and terrorising little kids in the neighbourhood, but Harry couldn´t help but wonder.

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The next morning, when Harry went down to breakfast, his Aunt and Uncle were talking about the Barbecue. Apparently they had been satisfied with Dudley´s choice of a girlfriend and while Aunt Petunia kept frowning at Harry every time he took a toast or some bacon and Uncle Vernon seemed to try not to look at Harry at all with his face twitching every time he did, the general atmosphere in the house was better than it had been all summer.

"Harry, Mrs Figg asked me to send you over to her today to help her with her garden, so you will go in the afternoon. And don´t you dare complaining to those –those –people!" his Aunt told him, and his Uncle added with a grumble: "You´ve done nothing but lazing around the house all day, you can at least help an old woman who can´t do everything on her own any more, boy. Even if your kind doesn´t think so, in this family we believe in some good, honest labour!"

Harry tried to look properly grumpy at this prospect, it wouldn´t do to have his relatives suspect that he wanted to go there or they might forbid it, while his mind raced with the possibilities that there could be one of the order members, or at least a message from them, and it seemed to be something too important for letters so maybe he would finally get to know when he could get out of Privet Drive.

"Yeah, fine, I´ll go there," Harry said getting up, "though I wouldn´t say that my kind doesn´t believe in hard work, especially not Professor Moody –I believe you´ve met him at the train – he´s supposed to be the best in his job, and he can see through about everything!"

With that he quickly left the kitchen and the shuddering Dursleys, who were once again reminded of their encounter with said Mad-Eye Moody and his spinning magical eyeball.

When Harry walked up to Mrs Figg´s house after lunch, he was feeling more excited than he had all summer.

He rang the bell and waited, but it wasn´t Mrs Figg, that opened, it was Remus Lupin.

"Professor Lupin! I didn´t expect you! –but I´m happy that you´re here!" Harry added hastily.

Lupin´s smile got brighter, and there was a strange light in his eyes. "Ah, Harry, I´m happy to be here, too. And you can stop calling me Professor, I haven´t been one for quite some time now and it feels a bit weird having the son of one of my best friends addressing me like that! Remus will be fine. –Let´s get inside!"

"Fine, okay, erm –Remus," said Harry as they went into the living room and sat down, shooing a few cats away in the process, "Why are you here? There hasn´t anything happened, has it?"

"No, Harry, nothing has happened, everyone is fine. -I´ve asked Mrs Figg to let me come here and talk to you because erm, well, I wanted to see you personally and ask you how you´re holding up," Lupin looked up and shoot him a quick glance before continuing, "You know, I´ve been through this before and I know how difficult it is and I didn´t want you deal with it all on your own."

Harry was silent for a moment. He hadn´t expected this topic, at least not as blunt as Lupin had asked and the question stirred all the emotions swirling under the surface. How did he feel? He really didn´t know exactly, there were still too much feelings at the same time to discern them, but at least he didn´t feel the deep despair and hopelessness of the beginning of the holidays. And he didn´t know if he wanted to talk to Lupin about that, but then he remembered that Lupin had been Sirius´ best friend. So at last he settled for a honest if not very articulate reply. "I´m -better, I think, I –it´s still difficult sometimes, and –but I think of other things now, too, and –I… I think it´s getting better." Harry seriously hoped that Lupin wouldn´t press the matter, it was too soon, he was just coming to terms with it for himself and couldn´t drag everything out to somebody else.

Lupin seemed to understand, for he watched him closely and then nodded once,"Okay, but –well, when you need someone to talk to, I´ll be here, okay? Sirius would want me to be there for you, -and I want to, as well."

Harry didn´t fully trust his voice, so he just nodded to that and Lupin continued: "And there is another thing we need to talk about. You have asked in nearly all your letters to get out of Privet Drive" –he raised his hand to forestall Harry´s question –"no, you´re not getting out today, Professor Dumbledore says you still need to stay here for some reason. But I want to ask you about something else. When you can get out, it will be Grimmauld Place, the Burrow simply isn´t safe enough, and I wanted to ask you if that´s okay with you?"

Harry again needed a moment to gather his thoughts. Sure it would be hard to be in Sirius´ old home but given the choice of going there or staying with the Dursleys he would rather see his friends and face the memories of Grimmauld Place. Quickly making up his mind he answered: "Yes, it´s okay with me, I´ll go there." Then another thing occurred to him: "But what will happen with Grimmauld Place now, -I mean with Sirius… erm, I mean, can the order still stay there?"

Lupin looked grim for a moment, "Well, first there is the Fidelius Charm on the house so no one can find it until Dumbledore tells them, not even any members of the Black family who might inherit something from Sirius –he never made a testament, always seemed to think he would live forever -and second, well, it´s just that no one, well no one from the Ministry or Press or such, knows that he died. You see, that veil, it is a direct gate to death and it leaves nothing behind, so no one beside the order and the Death Eaters who were there know about it. And even if those Death Eaters captured said anything to their interrogators, Fudge wouldn´t believe a thing about Sirius fighting against You-Know-Who. In fact, they have still Aurors searching for him and warnings in the Daily Prophet. Although they don´t write anymore that he´s in league with You-Know-Who –Fudge probably thinks it would make the public even more afraid if they imagine the most evil dark wizard together with his most dangerous escaped prisoner."

Harry looked dumbstruck.. Never had he imagined that the wizarding public might not know about Sirius´ death. He regretted once more that Sirius never got his name cleared, but then, now he would live on in the collective memory as the only wizard who escaped Azkaban and then outsmarted all the Aurors, supposedly enjoying his freedom and happily living his life, thwarting all the Ministry´s efforts. Maybe a great prankster like his godfather would like that more than the sad truth about an innocent convict, maybe he was having a good laugh at them all, wherever he was.

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A few days later Harry was sitting at the desk in his room and writing a letter to Ron and Hermione. Lupin had told him at that day in Mrs Figg´s house that he would be staying with the Dursleys at least until the beginning of August, so he had decided to catch up on all the correspondence from his friends. That day Lupin and him had talked some more about things like his OWLs and what he wanted to do after school. Harry had managed to block out all thoughts about the prophecy and Lupin didn´t seem to know about it, so Harry for the first time asked himself who _did_ know it. He had assumed that all of the order members knew about it, but maybe Dumbledore hadn´t told them, after all he hadn´t told Harry, and it did concern him the most! Also, since Voldemort wanted to find out about it, the fewer people knew it, the better.

And Harry wondered if he should tell his friends. He didn´t want to imagine their reactions, and he didn´t want to put them into danger, but he realised that the knowledge of the prophecy would change him, it would affect his behaviour and his view on things and they were bound to realise that. For example, discussing a future career like he had with Lupin would be extremely difficult, as they knew him better and he couldn´t pretend for a whole year that he really believed his career choice would matter that much, not when he probably didn´t live to finish school. Beside that, it would also be nice to have his friends with him in the difficult times to come, but they should have a chance to decide so for themselves, after they had heard all the facts.

Harry decided that he needed to think the whole situation over again, and that he had a few more questions for Dumbledore, when there flew an owl into his room. He didn´t recognise it and had a sudden vision of the letter being a portkey, when he shook himself –he was safe as long as he was at his Aunt´s house! Would he become as paranoid as Moody over this whole prophecy-mess?

Opening it, he read:

_**MINISTRY OF MAGIC – WIZARDING EXAMINATIONS AUTHORITY** _

**_Head Examiner Griselda Marchbanks_**

_Dear Mr Potter,_

_Please receive enclosed the results of your OWLs:_

> _Astronomy: Acceptable_
> 
> _Care of Magical Creatures: Outstanding_
> 
> _Charms: Exceeds Expectations_
> 
> _Defence Against the Dark Arts: Outstanding_
> 
> _Divination: Terrible_
> 
> _Herbology: Exceeds Expectations_
> 
> _History of Magic: Terrible_
> 
> _Potions: Acceptable_
> 
> _Transfiguration: Exceeds Expectations_

_You have received a total of seven OWLs._

_We would also like to inform you that you had a perfect score on your Defence Against the Dark Arts exam with an additional bonus point._

_We congratulate you on your performance and wish you success for your future schooling at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

_Griselda Marchbanks_

_Head Examiner_

Harry stared at the paper. Seven OWLs! That was more than Fred and George´s results combined! And a perfect score in DADA! Although he had expected a fairly good mark in Defence, he had never before had a perfect score in any exam. He had only failed Divination and History –no surprise there- and apparently scraped through Astronomy despite everything that had happened that night. Potions- well, no real surprise there either, he honestly couldn´t have hoped for more, but he still felt a stitch in his stomach, now he couldn´t become an Auror, could he? And imagining Snape with his superior little smile because of that made him ball his right fist until it was white.

He thought again about his career talk with McGonagall. Hadn´t she said she would help him become an Auror if that was the last thing she did? And that she would tutor him at night if it was necessary? Had she meant that, or did she just say so to spite Umbridge? Perhaps there was still a little chance for him to become an Auror, and if it were just to wipe that smile off Snape´s face, and to prove Umbridge wrong.

With new fervour he started on his letters again, giving Hermione and Ron a detailed account of his results and asking for theirs. He also told them that he would be allowed to leave in the beginning or middle of August and would meet them at "the place from last summer". Then writing to Neville, Luna and even Ginny, although she would probably hear from Ron anyway, Harry apologised for not answering sooner and asked how their summers were going. Remembering Luna´s letter he complimented her for finding a Sniffling Cryberry although the Snorkack hadn´t shown itself until now; even if he hadn´t slightest clue what either of those animals were.

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The following days he was more content than he had been since the night his godfather died; there were hours when he wouldn´t think of Sirius, for example while he was reading his school books for a lack of anything better to do. Harry always felt a light pang of guilt when he realised it afterwards and then quickly visualised Sirius´ face in his mind, as if to assure himself that he would never forget him.

Finally the day of his birthday rolled around and Harry kept thinking that the best birthday present anyone could make him was getting him out of Little Winging. He longed for anyone to talk to and the Dursleys weren´t any help either. They had invited the Wheelers, Sandra´s parents, over for dinner on the 31th and for the past week there had been a daily rehearsal for what everyone would say. The whole thing was a replay of the evening when Uncle Vernon´s boss had come for dinner four years ago, when Dobby had visited Harry for the first time. After days of listening to them repeat the same sentences, Harry was on the verge of screaming every time Dudley said: "Now I can see where Sandra got her beauty from, Mrs Wheeler", and he was glad that he would stay in his room for he didn´t think he could have kept a straight face throughout the whole play.

So in the evening he was lying on his bed, hearing the low murmur of voices from downstairs, when a small stone flew through his open window. When he sat up another one followed and he heard a "psst!" outside and another voice quietly called: "Harry!". Grabbing his wand Harry silently made his way over to the window and peered out, careful not to be seen. Below the window he could make out two moving forms. Apparently they were dillusioned. Harry knew that there were order members outside somewhere, why hadn´t they stopped whoever that was? Or was it the order, but then why hadn´t they told him beforehand that they would come? Harry hesitated, unsure what to do, when he suddenly was seen by one of the intruders.

"Harry! Good to see you! We were starting to think you´d sleep through our little visit!"

Harry immediately recognised the voice, it was Fred, or maybe George, their voices like everything else was similar.

"Hey, what are you two doing there?! Are you alone? How did you get through the guards?"

"We´ll explain in a minute, just let us come in first, before the guard comes back!"

With that they started to climb up the gutter near his window. Apparently they had a lot of practise with it. Seeing Harry´s look, Fred said: "Well, it always came in handy when we were sneaking out of the Burrow before we were allowed to do magic, -so let that be a word of advice for you, young Harry, don´t always rely on magic, sometimes the Muggle way is just as effective! And with the Anti-Apparition-wards around the house we had to get in the old fashioned way."

"And as to why we´re here, you didn´t think we would let you spent your birthday all alone with those Muggles? Ah, sweet sixteen, I can remember our sixteenth birthday, it´s such an innocent age!"

Harry snorted, he couldn´t imagine the twins ever being innocent, they probably had pranked their mother while lying in the crib. "And how did you get in here? Does anyone know you´re here?"

"Well, you see, it´s Dung´s shift and he has lately started to distill illegally and then label the moonshine as Ogden´s Old Firewhisky. Apparently he needed to look after his distillery for a moment, so we could sneak in."

"And no, no one knows we´re here, or they all would have wanted to come. It´s just that we wanted to talk to you alone for a minute and we figured we would bring you your birthday present personally while we´re at it, and hopefully raise your spirits a bit as well."

Harry grinned. If he couldn´t get out having some company was the next best thing for a present he could imagine, and the twins were always fun to be with. He only hoped they wouldn´t get into any trouble for sneaking in to visit him. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Oh, straight to business, then?" George said, interestedly poking at one of Dudley´s old toys, a glibbery gum ball, that would stick to everything it was thrown at.

"You see, Harry, last year we decided to return the money you gave us back to you as soon as possible and now we are selling so much of our stuff via owl order, that we should soon be able to pay it back. It´s just that we want to open a real shop sometime and we wanted to ask you if it´s alright if we use your money for that and pay you later. Don´t get us wrong, we will be able to open the shop sooner or later anyway, only with your money it would be sooner."

-"And, of course you wouldn´t just get your money back but a share of the money we make as well."

Harry shook his head at them. "I never wanted that money back, so go ahead and use it for everything you need. I´d like some good jokes more than any money, and especially that money. I could never spent it, so you keep it."

"Oh no Harry, we are Weasleys and we always pay our debts!" - "We can set up a vault for you and transfer your share of the returns there, and then you can think about a worthy cause to spent that money on."

Looking into their determined faces, Harry knew that no arguing would change their mind, he knew that stubborn look too well from whenever Ron had set his mind on something, so he reluctantly agreed.

After that the twins told him about a few new things they had invented and how they had tested them on Ron and Ginny and then calmed their furious mother down with Pleasing Popps, all the while being carefully quiet so neither the Dursleys nor the guard outside would notice anything. Harry was soon shaking with laughter and the effort to keep it noiseless. Later Fred and George gave him a package of their products for present, although it was only about ten and not quite his birthday yet, but they wanted to get away from Privet Drive before Moody´s shift would begin.

The twins were just dillusioning themselves when Harry took one of their new inventions in his hands, holding it at the attached string.

"No, Harry, don´t! When you pull at the string –"

Fred didn´t get further. The little ball exploded in sparks and fireworks, the noise loud enough to alarm everyone in the house. There was a moment of silence, then Harry shoved George to the window, "Out, get out, before anyone comes up!" The twins seemed reluctant to leave Harry to face his relatives alone, but their presence would only make things worse. He heard them land in the garden with a muffled "Ouch" and then the fast and angry steps of his Uncle on the stairs, followed by the indignant trippling of his Aunt.

His mind was blank when they stormed into his room, Uncle Vernon´s face a deep shade of purple with a vein bulging at his temples, Aunt Petunia with a piercing look in her narrowed eyes and her mouth the thinnest line possible. They looked murderous.

Harry couldn´t think of any excuse and actually was really scared of them for a moment, and then, without thinking, without knowing what he did, he grabbed one of the Pleasing Popps, that George had pointed out to him before, and threw it at the floor.

It popped just before his Aunt and Uncle and smoke rose up quickly, obscuring them from his view. Harry, standing at the window, didn´t inhale much of the smoke and felt no immediate effects. He didn´t know if the Popps would work on Muggles at all, but when he at least couldn´t hear them screaming at him, he dared to hope a little.

Then the smoke cleared away and he could see the Dursleys standing at the door again, a dreamy, pleased smile on their faces.

"Ah, why don´t you come down with us, Harry, and have dessert with us?" Uncle Vernon said, stepping aside and gesturing downwards invitingly. "We would be so glad if you joined us," Aunt Petunia smiled sickeningly sweet.

"Uh, erm, I really don´t want to, thanks for the invitation, but erm, -I had already something to eat and I think I´m just going to go to bed now."

Harry could only look incredulously as his relatives seemed genuinely sorry about that and then with a last "Well, you know where we are, if you change your mind…" vanished downstairs. He wondered if he should just always carry one of the Popps with him and throw it at Voldemort the next time they met.

The twins apparently had disappeared as well, for when he turned around he couldn´t see them outside anymore. Maybe Mungdungus Fletcher had still been at his distillery and therefore hadn´t noticed the little firework in Harry´s room.

Another thought suddenly occurred to Harry. Chuckling to himself he tried to imagine what the Wheelers must be thinking of his Aunt and Uncle looking like they had just smoked some very strong joints.


	2. Back to Grimmauld Place

**Chapter Two – Back to Grimmauld Place**

In the second week of August Harry sat on his trunk in his room, his things neatly packed and Hedwig already sent to Ron at Grimmauld Place, and watched the hands of his watch move slowly. The watch was his birthday present from Ron and his family, along with a card that sang loudly "Happy Birthday" with all the Weasley´s voices. Harry had been very glad that the Dursley´s apparently still had been under the influence of the Pleasing Popps and therefore didn´t complain about the singing in the middle of the night. Even after the effects of the Popps wore off they seemed to affect their memory, because all the Dursleys talked about the next day was how nice an evening it had been with the Wheelers.

Harry´s other presents had been a book from Hermione –no surprise –called "Obscure and Fascinating Curses for the Advanced Dueler" with a note saying that she "had a feeling that it might be beneficial" and another one from Lupin –no, Remus – called "1000 Spells to Protect your Friends and Beat your Enemies".

And Neville, although he hadn´t known Harry´s birthday, sent him a few days later another book about plants and how to use them in Defence and Charms, saying that he had seen it in an old book store in Diagon Alley and thought Harry could use it for the DA meetings. He felt fairly confident that he had enough stuff to teach now, should he indeed continue with the DA.

Over the last few days Harry had gotten letters from nearly everyone in the DA, thanking him for passing their OWLs or NEWTs and asking if he would start the club again this year. But underneath it there was a tone of worry and urgency that hadn´t been there last year; it wasn´t only about marks anymore, now the threat seemed much more real and near to most of the students.

Harry had replied to all of them that he would wait to find out who the new Defence teacher was and ask Dumbledore for permission first, but they should all keep their charmed galleons just in case.

Another thing to ask Dumbledore about, he really hoped he would see him some time before school started again. He had been furious with the Headmaster at the end of last term; being locked up in the house he had had much time to think, and –

The doorbell rang and Harry jumped up, it was three o´clock sharp in the afternoon, they were here, at last he was going to get out of the Dursley´s house! He grabbed his trunk and Hedwig´s cage and dragged everything down the stairs as fast as he could. As he ripped the door open he was met with Mad-Eye Moody´s magical eye, eyeing him suspiciously from head to toe and up again, before its owner gave him a brief nod and moved into the Dursley´s home, quickly checking if there was anyone in the kitchen or the sitting room. The Dursleys, who had wisely made other plans for the afternoon since Harry had told them the time of his departure after a visit at Mrs Figgs, probably would have been more appalled by the second person to enter the house. Apparently Tonks had decided pink, spiky hair wasn´t shocking enough and had opted for a punk style instead. On top of her head there was only one row of hair left, standing up, in neon green and bright orange.

"Hey Harry! What´s up?" she asked, grinning from ear to ear. She looked around, then added a little disappointed: "Your relatives aren´t home?"

"Eh, no, they wanted to go shopping this afternoon, they said…" With Tonks entrance Harry had never noticed Mungdungus Fletcher, the last person standing on the doorstep. When he invited him in, Dung shot him an unfocused look and then walked staggeringly into the hall, where he leaned against the wall, his body swaying a bit.

Tonks pulled Harry back before he could ask Dung if there was anything wrong with him, and whispered into his ear: "Don´t mention it! He has been brewing firewhisky lately and apparently he has to test the stuff all the time if it´s ready and good, so he´s been like this for most of the time. Don´t mention it anywhere near Moody, you know how he is! Let´s just get back to headquarters before he gets into another of his Constant Vigilance´-lectures!"

As Moody was coming back from his inspection of the house at this, Harry asked: "How are we going there then?"

Moody growled in response: "Portkey. Ministry has given Dumbledore permission to use them as he likes. That foolish Minister seems to think he can buy the Headmaster´s support back with this."

Harry nodded, touched his trunk with one hand while Tonks took the cage and Moody tapped a long quill with his wand, "So, it´ll activate in thirty seconds." They touched the quill but Mungdungus seemed to have problems standing. He swayed back to the wall and had to support himself there before stumbling forward again. Just as Harry felt the portkey activate and heard Moody´s irritated shouting, Dung threw himself into the middle of the group.

After briefly feeling the unique sensation of portkey-travelling Harry landed hard on his back in the entrance hall of Grimmauld Place, with a heap of swearing, squealing and choking bodies around and on top of him. Of course the commotion had woken up the portrait of Sirius´ mother, who now added her shrieks and insults to the tumult, and as Harry got himself out of the tangle and could look up, he looked straight up into the face of Professor Snape, who had obviously just arrived.

Snape wrinkled his nose as he looked down, and when the noise died down a bit he sneered disgustedly, "Trust Potter to always make _quite_ an entrance." before he stepped around them and without a look back vanished into the kitchen.

Moody´s growling got louder at that and Harry thought he heard a murmured, quiet "Damn that bloody git!" from Tonks. He himself was having a hard time to keep to his decision and ignore Snape –he would not let Snape get the satisfaction of showing him any reaction –he hadn´t shown any sign of pain to Umbridge, he could handle Snape –

And then there were the Weasleys and Hermione and various order members coming and Harry sighed relieved as someone pulled the curtains closed to shut up the portrait and he finally got to his feet. Hermione embraced him and Ron clapped him on the shoulders, and he could see the question and the anxiousness in their eyes and tried to give them his most reassuring smile. It was good to be back.

After everyone else had greeted him –Mrs Weasley with a hug and a critical look, assessing how much weight he might have lost and Remus with a serious face and a quiet "How are you?" – and a green looking Mungdungus had been dragged out by a snarling Moody, Harry was finally able to bring his things up to the room he shared with Ron again.

His two best friends had followed him in. When he closed the door and turned around, there was a awkward pause. Hermione sitting on Ron´s bed seemed determined, while Ron looked everywhere but Harry.

"Harry,-" Hermione started, then seemed to hesitate, before she rushed out, "oh, I´m no good at this. I, -It´s just, - Harry, how are you doing? I mean, I can´t imagine what it must be like for you, we all missed Sirius, and you didn´t say much in your letters, but it must be horrible, and with no one there, and- Harry, how _are _you?"

Harry suddenly found the floor as interesting as Ron. He really wished people would stop asking that. What did it matter to them anyways? –No, that wasn´t fair, they were only worried about him, and hadn´t he wished for the whole summer to be with someone who would at least understand some of what was going on in his life? They deserved a honest answer just as Remus had gotten one.

"Hermione, I´m- better, it- it´s okay, I´ve had a lot of time…- a lot of time to think about Sirius´ dea- about what happened at the Ministry, and really, it´s getting better lately."

He looked at his feet, his eyes prickling, and so he didn´t notice when she got up and her hug surprised him completely. She held him tight and he found her bushy hair in his face oddly comforting, shielding him from the world. He took a deep and shaky breath and felt a tension he hadn´t realised until then leave his body.

Her voice sounded equally strained as his had before when she spoke into his shoulder: "We were so worried about you, how you would cope,- oh, Harry, you know we´re always there for you, do you?"

"Yeah, mate, that´s what friends are there for," Ron stood at his side, shifting a bit nervously but nodding intently nevertheless as he managed to catch Harry´s eyes. Harry could only nod at them in return, he had a lump in his throat and as he closed his eyes briefly he thought that he could almost physically feel their friendship.

When Hermione released him, Ron gave her an odd glance before he turned to Harry and asked with a grin: "So what´s your guess on Hermione´s OWL scores?"

Harry had to laugh at that as well: "Well, let´s see, Outstanding in everything?"

"Oh, you two!" Hermione´s face was still a little bit blotchy, but she was smiling. "No, for your information, I got Exceeds Expectations in Ancient Runes and History; and Acceptable in Astronomy. I just couldn´t concentrate on History anymore, after your vision, and with that attack on Professor McGonagall and Hagrid during Astronomy…, - I can´t believe they marked our star charts as if nothing had happened!"

Harry smiled brightly –that was just the same old Hermione as always. Then he turned expectantly to Ron, "And? What about you?"

Ron´s ears went red, "Uh, no big deal, pretty similar to yours, except that I failed Astronomy, and got only Exceeds Expectations in Care of Magical Creatures and Acceptable in Herbology."

"And?" Harry was puzzled. There was nothing to be ashamed of with that marks, and Ron seemed really embarrassed. He looked at Hermione for an answer, but she only grinned smugly.

Ron took a deep breath – "Harry, Hermione, Ron! Come down, dinner´s ready!" came the voice of Mrs Weasley, -"Right, I think we should go downstairs, there´s an order meeting tonight, we might be able to hear something!" said Ron and rushed out of the door.

Harry looked at Hermione, who only snorted, shaking her head, so he went after Ron. He caught him just before the kitchen. "Come on, you´re not going to get out of this, what is it?"

Ron´s neck now had nearly the same colour as his hair, and he mumbled something barely comprehensible.

"What?! Outstanding? In _Divination_?! – But… - didn´t you say that you described that ugly man in your crystal ball until you looked up and realised it was the reflection of your examiner?!"

"Yeah, but, you know, then I was just so shocked the only thing that I could think of was to resort to the old habits of divination making, and so I said he would be run over by a Muggle car. – And, you see, he didn´t believe me at first, but then he apparently got in fact run over by a car, - Dad heard it in the Ministry - he wasn´t killed and got out of St Mungo´s fairly quickly, but it seems he was so impressed with my Inner Eye´ and divination skills, I got an Outstanding…" Ron trailed off.

Harry gaped at Ron, and then he suddenly broke down in hysterical chuckles with tears streaming down his cheeks.

"I´m just glad," he finally gasped out to a still deep red Ron, "that your Inner Eye´ wasn´t working before… Imagine all the times you predicted our death…"

"Yes, the only thing is, Mum now wants me to continue with that stupid subject, she reckons I might be a real Seer, and you know the whole thing is a complete waste of time! The only thing we ever learnt there is to make up stories about how we´re going to die!"

_Yes, but sometimes there is a real prophecy in between the whole rubbish, and it might mess up the whole life of someone_- Harry sobered up at that thought, he really needed to talk to Dumbledore, he needed to know more, he needed to know who he could talk to.

"But maybe Firenze is still at Hogwarts this year, and in his classes at least you won´t have to make things up." Harry managed to get out, hopefully distracting Ron from his sudden change of mood. "Let´s go get dinner!"

By now Hermione had joined them and together they walked into the kitchen. Already at the table were Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling more than usual, and Professor McGonagall, who seemed to be trying to look stern but the corner of her mouth was twitching. Harry thought they must have heard him and Ron talking about Divination, and he felt his own ears get a bit red now, too.

Further down the table were Remus, Moody, Tonks, Bill and Snape and two people Harry didn´t know. Dung was perhaps at his distillery again, or Mrs Weasley, who was serving dinner now, had forbidden him to come to eat while he was drunk like that.

The three of them sat down near Professor Dumbledore and Harry, looking over the people present, asked: "So, where is everyone? Fred and George, and Ginny? And what´s with Percy?" Though he said the last part quietly, so only Ron and Hermione would hear it.

Ron was too busy emptying his plate, so Hermione answered. "We don´t really know, where Fred and George are, they have rented a flat somewhere, but they won´t let anyone visit them. I think they are experimenting for new products there for that joke shop they want to open. Don´t mention it to Mrs Weasley, she´s still angry with them for not taking their NEWTs, and she thinks they are lazing around now all the time. We haven´t seen them for a while. And Ginny, well she is visiting Luna for a week, since Luna got back from Scandinavia and that Snorkack-search, or whatever it was."

"And Percy," Ron said scowling, "is still a git. He´s talking to Dad at the Ministry sometimes now, and he met with Mum in London once, but he didn´t apologise and he´s not moving back in. Still says that the Ministry is always right and we should have supported Fudge no matter what."

Searching for a safer topic Harry asked: "So when will Ginny come back here, then?"

Ron´s scowl deepened even more. "She isn´t. After she leaves Luna, she is going to Dean and stay the last week of the holidays there."

Harry remembered Ginny telling them she had chosen Dean as her new boyfriend on the train and wisely didn´t say a thing, but Hermione did.

"Really, Ron, your sister is fifteen! It´s none of your business when she dates someone! And Dean is really okay."

"He´s not! She deserves better! –" Harry tuned them out, this was heading into one of their familiar arguments, which Hermione was most likely going to win in the end. He caught Dumbledores eyes over the table and thought maybe he should ask the Headmaster if he could talk to him after the meal, but he didn´t get to that.

Through the open door came Kreacher. Harry froze in his place, his fists white. _One insult to Sirius, and I´ll strangle him, no matter what Hermione will say_ –but he didn´t need to.

For it was a very different Kreacher, that entered, from the Kreacher that had betrayed Sirius. He wasn´t mumbling under his breath. He looked transfixed around at everything and everyone. He walked slowly to the desk and timidly picked up a spoon to examine it meticulously.

Perplexed Harry looked at Hermione for an explanation, and then at Dumbledore. But it was Remus who answered.

"Erm, I thought it best to get rid of Kreacher, and I wanted to modify his memory so we could chuck him out without him telling anything about the order. But it went a little wrong…" Remus looked apologetic, but couldn´t hide a small smirk. "You see, I was in bad mood already, and then he started mumbling about Sirius before I did the memory charm, and, erm, I guess I got carried away and overdid the spell a bit…Memory Charms are always tricky… and now he doesn´t remember anything at all… total memory loss…"

"Yeah," Ron added, now too watching the house-elf, "he´s got it as bad as Lockhart –and I must say they had both so much nicer personalities afterwards… Anyway, he has really totally lost his memory –you could give him a sock and he wouldn´t realise he was free. Of course, even if he did, he would probably forget that he had been freed five minutes later."

"Well, he might learn again with time and maybe this can be a second chance for him then," Hermione frowned at Ron, who only snorted but obviously didn´t want to get into another discussion about S.P.E.W.

Harry watched Kreacher walking out of the door, all the time trying to stuff the spoon into his flapping ear. If this was what Kreacher was like without his memories, his experiences… without knowing of his life with and work for Sirius´ family… Was it only their treatment that had made him the disgusting, traitorous creature he had been? Could he have turned out differently?

But wasn´t everyone responsible for their own actions nevertheless? Kreacher had made the decision to betray Sirius, he could have made another choice. So whose fault _was_ it?

########################################################################

After dinner Harry approached Dumbledore. "Sir, could you spare me some time? I need to ask you a few things."

Dumbledore seemed to have expected that. He nodded, "Yes, I believe you have. I have some time until all the order members have arrived for the meeting, so I suggest we go to the living room."

Ron and Hermione gave Harry a questioning look, but didn´t ask when he went out of the room with the Headmaster. After closing the door Dumbledore sat quietly down in an armchair opposite of Harry, meeting his eyes calmly.

Harry thought again of how much his perception of the old man had changed. He had been so furious with him last term. Only when he had cooled down over the last month had he realised where most of his anger had come from. It was his own disappointment at having his childhood belief of an invincible and infallible authority figure smashed. It destroyed the security of black-and-white, good-and-bad, and left him standing with nothing but his own doubts and half thought out judgement. After loosing Sirius and hearing the prophecy this had been too much.

Dumbledore was neither omniscient nor omnipotent, and he had made mistakes –but who could say if it really would have turned out better if he, Harry, had known about the prophecy? The headmaster _was_ one of the wisest and most experienced wizards around, however Harry had finally seen that he was, after all, only human, just like everyone else was. He would ask for Dumbledore´s advice in the future, but then he would build his own opinions and trust his own judgements, too.

Harry didn´t know how long he had pondered this, but Dumbledore had a slight smile on his face then and raised an eyebrow a little, as if to ask whether he was ready to talk.

"I wanted to say that I´m sorry for loosing my temper like that in your office last year, it wasn´t really your fault, and I didn´t mean everything I said."

"Ah, Harry, there is no need to apologise for that. I dare say sometimes some open words are better than a lot of bottled up feelings. Alas, I believe I´m mostly responsible for your outburst anyway. I´m sure it wasn´t exactly the best moment to tell you about the prophecy, but I feared if I didn´t tell you then, I might loose my courage again."

Harry was surprised by the frankness of the Headmaster, but decided he would follow that example. "Yes, the prophecy. Who knows about it? I thought you would have told the order about it, but Remus didn´t seem to know."

"No one beside you and me know the full content. Your parents knew, as did Neville´s, and I wanted to inform Sirius, but I never got around to do it. As you learnt your third year, Professor Trelawney doesn´t remember her true predictions, and at the Department of Mysteries they only store the prophecies for those mentioned in it. The Unspeakables are not allowed to know about the contents without the consent of the prophesied ones because it would invade in their privacy.

About the order, well, they know as much as Voldemort does, only the first half of it. And I –hm, let´s say I didn´t attach much importance to it when I told them. And either they don´t put that much faith in Sybil´s talent –many of them _have_ been her students at some time –or they believe the prophecy has already been fulfilled nearly fifteen years ago, when you 'vanquished the Dark Lord´."

"And I wanted to ask if I can tell someone about it."

Dumbledore sighed. "I thought you would ask that. I don´t think I could forbid you to, nor do I know if that would be wise. I understand that you will need to talk to someone about it, and I also understand that Miss Granger and Mr Weasley would most likely try to find out as soon as they realise that there is something worrying you. As Miss Weasley, Miss Lovegood and Mr Longbottom were at the Ministry with you they might have some questions or suspicions as well.

However that knowledge is a dangerous burden, and it must not fall into the wrong hands. I advise you to keep it to as few people as possible and to make sure that they understand the importance of keeping it quiet. Not only would the information be of great use to Voldemort, it would also make any person a prime target if the Death Eaters found out about their knowledge.

Because of that we will also need to work on your Occlumency skills, so you can prevent Voldemort from finding out that _you _know about the prophecy."

Harry nodded. He had thought along the same lines. "I´ll keep it to Ron and Hermione for the time being. They have been with me in this from the beginning, and will most likely be in the future. But I want them to decide so for themselves and make their choice knowing what the -well, what will happen in the end."

"Ah, but we don´t know that yet. The future is a blank page that only we can fill while living our lives, and, of course, then it won´t be the future anymore."

Considering they were talking about prophecies and Harry felt like his life had been planned out for him since his birth he thought that comment a bit odd. But compared to past conversations the Headmaster had been more serious than ever and hadn´t offered him any lemon drops or something like that at all. Harry wondered if it was all an act to put people more at ease; and although he was pleased that Dumbledore talked with him almost like an equal, he missed the funny quirks and weird trains of thought somehow.

"There´s another thing, most of the members of the DA wrote me and asked if we would carry on with our meetings this year. I told them that it depends on who would be the new DADA teacher, and that I would ask for your permission first."

"Ah, that rebellious little group of yours that Dolores was so afraid of," with the twinkle returning to his eyes Dumbledore continued, "I can´t tell you who´ll be the DADA teacher this year, it would ruin the whole excitement and speculation! I always enjoy the wildest guesses so much! But whoever it will be I think no sensible teacher would be displeased with his students practising in their free time. And since that Educational Decree –ah, I forgot which number it was, there really were a lot of them, weren´t there? –was revoked, study groups are no longer forbidden, so you will be able to meet as openly as you like and won´t need anyone´s permission for that."

Only after Dumbledore had left to go to the meeting and Harry sat pondering how to tell his friends about the prophecy, he realised that the Headmaster had left both decisions –whom to tell and whether to continue with the DA or not –completely to Harry, merely making some suggestions.

#########################################################################

When he finally left the now dark living room the door to the kitchen was closed, the order meeting must be going on there, and there wasn´t anyone to be seen. Harry considered trying to eavesdrop, but as he hadn´t any Extendable Ears and there seemed to be a Silencing Charm on the door for he couln´t hear a single sound from the inside, he decided to go upstairs to his room instead. Ron and Hermione must be somewhere up there, too, and although he still hadn´t figured out how to tell them, he could at least have some company.

"Where can Harry be that long? You don´t think they would allow him in the order and us not, do you?"

"Oh Ron! You saw that he went with Dumbledore into the living room, and only Dumbledore came out for the meeting! And they won´t allow anyone who isn´t of age into the order! But I wonder what they needed to talk about. There is something different with Harry, I think there is something he hasn´t told us."

"Different? What do you-" Ron suddenly noticed Harry standing in the door and stopped in mid-sentence. Hermione turned around startled, clearly abashed at being caught talking about Harry behind his back.

His thoughts raced. It seemed they were already right in on the topic, why hadn´t he thought out what he would say before coming up? How do you tell your friends you are to face the most evil dark wizard of your time, and either kill him or die at his hands? That they would be in danger just by staying close to him, so they should better stop that? And do you tell them that you don´t know if you could carry on should they follow that piece of advice?_ Would they follow that piece of advice?_

"You´re right, Hermione, there is something I haven´t told you." They looked expectantly at Harry. "I didn´t know how to tell you, in fact I don´t know now, too… and I didn´t want to believe it myself, I just kept thinking that it wasn´t real… right, I´ll better start at the beginning. When Dumbledore sent me back after that night at the Ministry, he – he told me something. The reason why Voldemort attacked my family that night fifteen years ago. Why he´s so focused on me all the time."

Something like dread began to show in Hermione´s face at that, while Ron made no move at all, he hadn´t even flinched at the use of Voldemort´s name.

"The prophecy, that smashed, was made by Trelawney –and yes, it really was a true one- and Dumbledore witnessed it. He recounted it to me that night. _'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… And either will die at the hand of the other, for neither can live will the other survives…_´"

There was a moment of silence, then Harry continued monotonously. "It could have been someone else, but Voldemort heard only the first part of the prophecy and so he didn´t know that marking me would result in making me his equal… he chose me… and so, in the end, I will be the one who has to kill him, or he has to kill me…"

Harry looked up at his friends again. Ron was so pale he seemed almost white, even his lips had lost their colour. In Hermione´s eyes he could see her fear and her hands were shaking although she hugged herself tightly.

"You can´t let anyone know about this prophecy, understood?" he added sharply, "You can´t even let anyone know that you _know_ about this prophecy at all! You and Dumbledore and me are the only ones who know it, and you´ll be in danger when anyone finds out."

He waited till they had both nodded weakly before he drew a shaky breath and came to the last part of his explanation.

"I- You will be in danger as it is… just for being my friends… there were a lot of situations in the past where one of us could have died, and it will get worse from now on. I don´t want to risk you, I don´t know if I could live with myself if something happened to you… Now that I know that prophecy, I´ll oppose Voldemort more …I have to…And I´ll understand if you don´t want to be with me in that… I want you to be safe… I don´t know if I would fight him if I had the choice. I told you about the prophecy so you´d know what you would get yourself into, so you could make your choice… And I´ll really understand if you decide against it, I won´t think any less of you, in fact I´ll be glad because you would at least be safe…"

Harry stopped his rambling. The shocked silence of his friends seemed to wear off and he sensed they were about to object him. He held his hand up. "No! Please think it over! Are you really absolutely sure? Is this really what you want? _You have the chance_ to avoid it. Please think it over… –I, -I´ll be downstairs…"

He stumbled out of the room, his knees trembling. It was the hardest thing he had ever done, and now he could only wait for their answer. When Harry had calmed himself down so far that his hands stopped shaking too badly, he went further down and saw that the meeting must be over because the kitchen door was open. Making up his mind he decided that some company might be better than brooding alone in the dark living room, and walked into the kitchen.

Most order members had already left. Mr Weasley was hungrily eating from a plate his wife had saved him from dinner, Tonks was studying a fashion magazine with a young girl dressed in a gothic style on the front page and Dumbledore and McGonagall were quietly talking over the last sips of their tea. Snape stood near the table, impatiently tapping his foot, but his irritated stare didn´t have the desired effect as his fellow Professors seemed immune to it.

Remus saw Harry entering. "Want a cup of tea, too, Harry?"

Harry nodded, he had clenched his teeth so hard, it felt like his jaw might burst from the tension.

"You all right, dear? You look a bit pale." Mrs Weasley said as she placed a cup in front of him.

"Yes, I´m fine," he forced out and thought he saw a brief understanding shimmer in Dumbledore´s eyes, while Mrs Weasley kept on fussing over him.

Time seemed to stretch out as he listened absently to the others. It was worse than the waiting before the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament, at least then he had known that he would face a dragon, now he didn´t know what to expect.

Finally there were steps of two people coming down the stairs and then Ron and Hermione were standing in the doorway. They looked still shaken, however now there was also a grim determination and a fierce glint in their eyes. And Harry knew what their decision was.

Ron looked at the other people present, who were watching their entry curiously, then stepped closer to Harry and muttered so quietly only he could hear it: "There never was much of a choice to make, mate. We´ve gone through everything together so far, and if you have to fight him, then we ´ll come with you."

Hermione put an arm around each of them. "Yes, you didn´t really think we would leave you alone, did you? Besides, no one will be safe as long as Voldemort is on the loose anyway, and this isn´t only your fight. You may kill him in the end, but we´ll be there at your side."

They remained standing together for a moment until Tonks asked: "Anyone care to explain? –Oh never mind, keep your secrets then! –But what do you say to that hairstyle? D´you think I should try some silver, too?"

Things were definitely looking up.


	3. Returning Home

**Chapter 3 – Returning Home**

The last two weeks of the holidays flew by. Harry got used to being in Sirius´ house and thinking about him and could now remember the good times they shared without feeling too much pain and grief. Remus´ few, quiet comments and words of encouragement helped a lot with that as well as enjoying the company of his two best friends, playing chess with Ron and giving in to Hermione´s urgings to do some studying. In truth he didn´t mind to read some -as they had no homework this summer because everyone would take different courses in the new year, he was only studying his Defence books- but Ron seemed to especially like teasing her until she would smack him over the head with one of her books.

Harry had a fleeting suspicion that she enjoyed their little fights as well when he saw her grinning into her parchment after Ron had given in with lots of exaggerated sighs one day.

With the familiar Hogwart´s letter they had gotten this year another parchment, where all the courses they could take were listed. Students were only allowed into a NEWT level course if they had the marks required by the teacher, for example McGonagall only accepted students with an E or above, but apparently there were teachers with a lot lower expectations. So Ron could choose Astronomy despite his Poor´ there. But the greatest surprise was that both he and Harry could elect Potions, although they had only an Acceptable´and Snape required an Outstanding´. Harry wondered if this was McGonagall´s doing.

They were advised to choose six courses, more or less only with the approval of their Head of House. Harry settled on Defence, Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, Care of Magical Creatures and Herbology. Ron chose nearly the same ones, he only had Divination instead of Herbology. Hermione, of course, could not decide on merely six courses and after owling McGonagall she took all of Harry´s courses except Herbology but Ancient Runes, Arithmancy and History as well.

"Mental, she is, you´d think she would have learnt something after third year!" Ron had confided to Harry, "and why she would choose History of all things… it´s nearly as useless as Divination!"

########################################################################

They didn´t go to Diagon Alley, as Harry was not exactly allowed to leave the house and Ron and Hermione decided to stay with him. So Mrs Weasley got their books and some other things they needed, while they kept up with their work inside Grimmauld Place. Since last summer most of the dirt had been cleaned away, this summer they worked on sorting through all the things that were stored in the unused rooms and on throwing the more disgusting and useless ones out. Remus was in charge of the Great Dewasting´ as Ron had dubbed it, and often had to use his defence skills because the objects were spelled with dark and dangerous curses.

One particular nasty job had been the heads of the house-elves, and Hermione had left that to the boys after her face had gotten a sickly green colour. Instead she had gone to continue clearing out the attic, where Harry and Ron found her an hour later covered in dust and leafing through a trunk of heavy old books written in what seemed to be Runic.

"Hey Hermione! You were supposed to do some work up here! Not sneaking out to have lots of _fun_!"

"Oh, but this is fantastic! These books must be hundreds of years old! It seems no one has looked at them in years, apparently the Blacks weren´t interested in them, or forgot they were here. I really wish I had more time, it will take ages to translate enough to even find out what they are about!"

From then on there was considerably less help from Hermione and she could often be found with her nose buried in parchments and dusty tomes until deep into the night.

The only thing Ron and Harry couldn´t get rid of was the portrait of Sirius´ mother, but otherwise Grimmauld Place looked much more inviting and like a real home at the end of the holidays.

The whole time there was not a single sign from Voldemort, it almost seemed that his appearance at the Ministry had been just a bad dream, and Fudge was claiming in the Daily Prophet that it was his government that kept the Dark Lord at bay. Harry felt more and more uneasy with the continuing silence –last year Voldemort had lied low because he was building up his ranks again and devising a plot to get the prophecy. What was he planning this time? There hadn´t been another order meeting so Harry hadn´t seen Dumbledore again, and other order members were not likely to answer his questions about the order´s information about Death eater´s plans.

########################################################################

Finally it was September the 1st , and with the usual chaos everyone was getting ready for the trip back to Hogwarts. Ron was stuffing his robes into his trunk at the last minute and was searching for his boots under the bed and Harry could have sworn he had already packed the socks he spotted near the cupboard. But in a worse mood than anyone was Hermione. She was dragging _two _trunks downstairs.

"What are you doing, Hermione? Did you buy too much schoolbooks to get them into one trunk, eh?"

"Oh, shut up, Ron! I asked Professor Lupin if I could take those books from the attic with me, so I could do some more translation and research in my free time. Unlike some people I enjoy doing something useful with my time!" she snapped and let one of her trunks drop on his foot.

"Oi, look out where you place that thing! And what do you think you´ll find in there? The Book of Knowledge or what? The Blacks probably forgot the whole lot for a reason. Maybe they are all about household and cleaning spells –they certainly didn´t place much value on that!"

Before Hermione could give an angry reply Harry interrupted quickly: "The Book of Knowledge? What´s that?"

"It´s just a wizards´ myth, it´s said that all knowledge of the world is written down in it, or something like that. When Ginny was younger and asked Mum questions like why some people are good and others bad and Mum didn´t have the time to answer or thought Ginny was still too young, she would say: That´s only written in the Book of Knowledge´."

"Really, " Hermione bristled, "you two should do some more reading! The Book of Knowledge was written by an Arabian philosopher named Anwar Najib, who claimed to have discovered and drunk from the Fountain of Knowledge in the desert, and then wrote down everything he knew! This Book was then called the Book of Knowledge, though there are different accounts as to what exactly was written in it. Najib went mad shortly after he had finished the book, he said that man was not cut out for complete knowledge and burned himself together with his book."

"Yeah, man is not cut out for complete knowledge´, think I like that guy…"

"So this Book of Knowledge doesn´t exist any more at all?" Harry cut in before Hermione could even open her mouth. What was keeping those Ministry cars for so long?

"That´s not sure. Apparently Najib had an assistant who copied the book without his knowledge and then made several more copies. But they are all said to be lost over time –after all Najib lived about 5000 years ago- and all accounts and sources are very vague. It´s not even completely sure if Najib had an assistant at all."

"Just like I said, it´s all a myth! I mean really, this Najib guy wrote a book about _knowledge_, and then he didn´t _know_ that his assistant copied the whole thing?"

Harry gave up, he really couldn´t think of any more questions and apparently his two friends were determined to get into yet another argument no matter how hard he tried to avoid it. So when the Ministry cars, that Mr Weasley had organised for them, finally arrived and brought them to the station he was listening resignedly to their bickering and only hoped they wouldn´t carry on like this for the whole year.

Mrs Weasley had stayed behind at Grimmauld Place and some order members who had accompanied them stayed out of sight, so there was nobody to say goodbye to on the platform and they went directly on the train and looked for a compartment. The saw Ginny sharing one with Dean and greeted her but as Seamus, Parvati and Lavender stayed in there as well there wasn´t enough space for the three of them. At last Harry found an empty one at the back of the train and was silently glad that Ron and Hermione had to go to the prefect meeting because Ron was constantly growling about Ginny being in the same compartment as Dean and Hermione was similarly constantly scolding him for it.

Just as the train pulled out of the station the compartment door opened and Neville stumbled in.

"Hello, Harry, are those seats already taken? There is no empty compartment on the train."

"Hi Neville! No, it´s only Ron and Hermione in here with me, of course you can have a seat! How was your summer?"

Harry helped the other boy push his luggage out of the way while Neville told him about his holidays. He seemed a little more confident and had studied hard this summer to be ready for NEWT level classes.

"I´m taking Herbology, of course, and Defence –it´s only thanks to you I got into that course- and Care of Magical Creatures and I somehow passed Charms. And then I had to take History and Divination because we need six classes and I didn´t pass Transfiguration or Astronomy. Thankfully I don´t have Potions any more! No more Snape! I just hope I can keep up with classes, the NEWTs must be horrible."

At that point the door slid open again and Luna lazily skipped in, her radish earrings skipping in tact with her. She gave them a bright smile and flopped down opposite of Harry. Staring into his face she said casually: "So you found your way out of the room."

"Er,… did I?"

"Yes, you did." She giggled. "That room with the archway in it of course! I knew you would find your way out during the holidays."

With that she took an edition of the Quibbler out of her bag and vanished behind it. Harry was about to ask what she had meant when he realised that she held the newspaper with the left side up and decided against it. Instead he exchanged a blank look with Neville.

After a brief silence Neville searched through his bag as well and said: "Look here, I got a new wand! Eleven inches, oak, with unicorn hair. Gran wasn´t even too furious about me breaking Dad´s old one! She said maybe I was at last following his footsteps. We went to Ollivanders, he´s really creepy, isn´t he?"

Harry smiled weakly, he felt again terribly guilty for taking his friends to the Ministry with him. "I´m really sorry about your Dad´s wand, Neville, and for putting you all into danger."

"It´s okay, Harry, really, I´m hoping that I´m better at magic with my own wand anyway."

"Oh, but we wanted to go there, didn´t we? Or did you control our minds with a Will-bender, like the Ministry does with the people that don´t support them?" Luna seemed to honestly consider that for a moment, but then she shook her head once, which sent the wand behind her ear flying, "no, I think they were only invented during the summer. And of course, I would never have gotten the chance to see if they were breeding Gobbledyflewps at the Ministry."

"Eh, and did you see any …eh, Gobbledyflewps?" Neville asked.

"No, but a chance is better than nothing." She concentrated again on the Quibbler, at the same time absentmindedly kicking her wand on the floor, making it fly up, and catching it without looking.

########################################################################

At lunch Harry went out of the compartment, buying some cakes and sweets from the old witch with the trolley. He met a few DA members there who greeted him and assured him that they still had the galleons from last year. He even got a stiff compliment from Zacharias Smith from Hufflepuff about his teaching style, who then asked bluntly what had happened at the Ministry. Harry winced and hesitated, and the other students shuffled back a little, but Zacharias didn´t back off. Swallowing he manged to answer that he couldn´t speak about it here, but he knew if he indeed continued with the DA he would have to answer sooner or later.

Bringing his purchases in and sharing them with Neville and Luna, Harry wondered what Dumbledore had told the school at the end of term feast last year about their trip to the Ministry and what he could tell the DA. And where should the DA head this year? Should they too take a more active role in the fight against Voldemort´s followers, or simply learn new spells? Should they take in new members, or keep it as small as it was now with the seventh years left? He decided that they would hold a meeting where he would bring up these questions and let all the members discuss and vote about it.

Finally Ron and Hermione came back from the prefect meeting. "Give me some of that chocolate frogs, Harry, will you? I´m absolutely starved. That new Headboy from Hufflepuff is as bad as Ernie Macmillan, I swear, I never thought anyone could make a speech about security measures that pompous and boring!"

Hermione looked ready to argue with Ron about his lack of interest in security but the long meeting seemed to have worn her down as well. "Well, summed up we sixth year prefects have to accompany all Hogsmeade visits and are responsible for security there. We also have to guard all bigger events, like Quidditch matches, and watch out for anything unusual." Catching Harry´s alarmed look at Ron, she added: "For all playing prefects there will be someone else appointed, something like a deputy prefect."

"Yeah," Ron mumbled between biting in his chocolate frog, "and how exactly are we going to protect everyone, when Malfoy is a sixth year prefect as well, and will tell his father and every other Death Eater available about any security measures we might take? Why he´s still a prefect I don´t know, after last year and that cow´s Inquisitorial Squad. – Speaking of the devil…" Ron looked at the window in the compartment door.

Harry turned around and and saw he was right. The door opened and Malfoy stood there, surprisingly without Crabbe and Goyle this time. Malfoy looked as pale and slick as usual but under his eyes were circles and they were burning with hatred. "Potter, you´re going to pay for what you did to my father. _I_´m going to make you pay, and you will regret you ever tangled with my family. You´re as good as dead. Enjoy your trip to school, with the Dark Lord back, it´ll be the last time you make it, and _I will make sure of that_."

"Can´t you think of something more original than that, Malfoy? All those death threats, it´s getting a bit boring after a while, don´t you think?" Harry said, although he felt quite unsettled by the maniacal gleam in Malfoy´s eyes.

Malfoy didn´t seem to hear him but stared at him silently for a moment longer, then turned around and left, quietly closing the door after him.

"Well, that was odd." Ron stated, "He didn´t insult us once, and he never even tried to reach his wand."

Neville shuddered. "I think it was scary, did you see his look? I think I like it more when he insults and curses someone."

"I think I agree with you, Neville." Hermione looked worried. "This was more …controlled, more serious than before. He almost sounded as if he had become a Death Eater already over the summer. His father going to Azkaban must have really driven him over the edge. I think you should be very careful, Harry."

Harry was silent. They were right, this had clearly gone further than beating each other at Quidditch and house rivalries or even trying to get the other one expelled… Malfoy really wished him _dead_.

For the rest of the journey they kept the conversation on lighter topics, with Ron, Neville and Harry playing some games of Exploding Snap, and Hermione trying to talk politely to Luna, who was watching Ron. Unnerved by her eerie stare Ron lost most of the time and was relieved when they finally came to a halt.

Over the bustling students on the platform they could make out the broad, tall figure of Hagrid, who waved at them, but didn´t have the time to talk with them because at that moment there was a shriek and one of the first years lost his balance and dropped into the lake.

"Come on, we better get into a carriage, seems like Hagrid has enough to do right now."

Harry left a little reluctantly, he wished he could at least have greeted the friendly giant. Then the sight of the Thestrals whisked those thoughts away. They were supposed to bring bad luck, and hadn´t they brought him to his godfather´s death? Seeing their lowered, sad heads, they seemed to blame themselves, too. He shook his head, he couldn´t very well blame the Thestrals for the outcome, as they were only a means of getting there in the first place.

Neville was shuffling nervously beside him, throwing him a look and quickly averting it again. With a start Harry realised that Neville was looking at the Thestrals, that he could see them now, too… of course he had seen Sirius die… Neville didn´t say a word, and Harry didn´t mention it either but he felt a strange sort of bond between them as they watched the winged horses.

"They do like you, you know," came a dreamy voice from behind them, "you are a bit like them." Luna brushed past them into the carriage where Ron and Hermione were already waiting; and Neville and Harry followed her.

########################################################################

Entering the castle Harry forgot momentarily all his worries, the familiar sight of the hall greeted him, the laughter and excited talking invited him in, the Gryffindor table welcomed him back. Hogwarts was a safe haven, now more than ever, and he was returning home.

The students quieted as Professor McGonagall entered with the first years and placed the old Sorting Hat on its stool. It waited until there was complete silence, then the brim opened and it sang:

> > _A thousand years or so before,_
>> 
>> _when Hogwarts was still young,_
>> 
>> _the Founders set up shields to insure_
>> 
>> _the school standing strong._
>> 
>> _ # # #_
>> 
>> _But the final touch of their plan,_
>> 
>> _the completion of their masterpiece,_
>> 
>> _they could not obtain,_
>> 
>> _they could not achieve._
>> 
>> _ # # #_
>> 
>> _Neither bright Ravenclaw with all her cleverness,_
>> 
>> _nor hardworking Hufflepuff with loyal cooperation._
>> 
>> _Neither brave Gryffindor with all his courageousness,_
>> 
>> _nor cunning Slytherin with lots of determination._
>> 
>> _ # # #_
>> 
>> _They couldn´t reach the goal they set,_
>> 
>> _for t´was in trust and unity they lacked._
>> 
>> _ # # #_
>> 
>> _Now again, I fear, dark times are brewing_
>> 
>> _and I feel the rift amongst us growing._
>> 
>> _ # # #_
>> 
>> _I must decide where you´re to send_
>> 
>> _but you should heed my call:_
>> 
>> _For united you will stand,_
>> 
>> _Divided you shall fall._

There was unsure clapping and worried murmuring, this was the second time the Sorting Hat had issued a warning. Like last year it warned them to unite or Hogwarts would fall. Harry wondered if the hat could see the future, and if they really should make some efforts to unite with the Slytherins. But how should they find out whom to trust? Maybe they would try to befriend some future Death Eater, -all the time assuming a Slytherin would even want to associate with them!

Ron whispered angrily: "Look at Malfoy! Seems he´s very pleased with the song! When I look at him I know why I don´t want to unite!"

"But that´s exactly what he wants! _He_ only needs to keep up the distrust, the rift amongst the houses, _we_ need to change that if we want to remain standing." Hermione muttered absentmindedly. "That was the same as last year, it´s the first part that I don´t like. There was something the founders couldn´t finish? Something with the wards? Does that mean there is a hole in the wards and shields that are protecting Hogwarts?"

McGonagall gave them a disapproving frown and Harry realised the Sorting already had begun. He clapped mechanically for every new Gryffindor, but his mind was on what Hermione had said. Hogwarts was his _home, _he could not imagine what it would be like with the castle destroyed. All the students… Hogwarts needed to be safe. He could not, he would not let Hogwarts fall. He swore to himself that he would not let Voldemort take the school, not as long as he was still living and able to hold a wand.

"Wheeler, Paul" – Harry snapped back to the present. Wheeler? The last of the first years was about to be sorted, he was dripping wet and shivering. Apparently he was the one that had stumbled into the lake. Frightened and pale, he looked as if he would start to cry any moment, Harry thought as the small boy sat on the stool. The hat took a long time to decide while the students in the hall got more and more impatient and hungry. After over a minute the hat shouted: "Gryffindor!"

Harry watched the boy sit down at the Gryffindor table, and a slow grin spread over his face. The brother of Dudley´s girlfriend, the son of the Wheelers, that his Aunt and Uncle got along so well with, was a _wizard_. Boy, were his relatives in for a nasty surprise, when they found out!

Dumbledore stood up at the headtable: "Welcome to our new students, and welcome back to our older ones! Since all announcements I have to make can wait until you have a full stomach, please help yourself!" and with a wave of his hand food appeared on the tables.

Of course Ron was the first to help himself to a nearly spilling over plate of food but Harry scanned the teacher´s table. Who was going to be the new DADA teacher? There were two new faces. One of them was a thin old man, sitting next to Flitwick, and although he was a head taller than the tiny Charms teacher he seemed too nervous and shy to talk and only nodded to Flit wick´s enthusiastic gesturing. Harry thought he looked like a little, frightened mouse and sincerely hoped he wouldn´t be the Defence professor. He probably would die of shock if he faced so much as a Bowtruckle.

The other man Harry didn´t know sat on Dumbledore´s left side, not talking with anyone. He was somehow featureless and apparently indifferent to his surroundings. Of an average height, as far as Harry could see, with an average face he blended into the background

"What do you think who´s the Liaison Officer?" Hermione asked at his side. "Snape´s glaring at the little one, so I guess he´ll be the Defence teacher."

Hermione was right, Snape was glaring disdainfully at the thin man, who dropped his fork in reaction. Harry also couldn´t imagine the mouselike one working for the Ministry, at least not in a position where Fudge wanted to show that the Ministry was in control. Great, so they would have yet another useless Defence teacher, maybe he should set a date for the next DA meeting at once. Why couldn´t Dumbledore find any suitable teacher for that subject, especially now? He certainly should have had a lot of practise over the last years.

Finally the tables cleared and Dumbledore stood up again. "So, I fear, now you´re forced to listen to an old man´s drivel. First, I´d like to announce that the Ministry has kindly revoked all Educational Decrees from last year-" - loud cheering broke out – "and all decisions concerning dismissing Professors or banning students-" here his eyes twinkled in Harry´s direction –"have been cancelled."

"Yeah, Harry, mate, you´re back on the team!" Ron yelled and slapped him on the back.

While Harry wiped the mashed-potato-rests from his nose where Ron had knocked him into his plate, Dumbledore continued. "Next, I´m glad to tell you that Professor Snape has agreed to vacate his position as Potions teacher and accepted to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts instead." Snape remained sitting and sneered down at everyone, while the Slytherin table clapped loudly. However they were not loud enough to drown out the less then pleased murmurs in the rest of the hall. Harry and Ron exchanged a look and groaned.

"For him, Professor Sanfter will take over Potions." The little man stood up too quickly and knocked over his glass, smiled nervously and sat down just as quickly. "And finally I´d like to welcome Mr Rookwood, our Liaison Officer, from the Ministry, who will be working with your teachers on the security of Hogwarts." Rookwood just nodded curtly when his name was mentioned. "With the public return of Voldemort-" a shudder went through the hall- "there will be a few new security measures, that you might notice. Please listen to the Prefects and staff in case of an emergency and show them the respect they deserve."

Dumbledore watched the students a moment silently, most of them showing anxiousness or open fear. "I cannot give you absolute security, but I can tell you that I will do everything that is in my power to prevent any of you getting harmed. And I do believe that you´re safer at Hogwarts than anywhere else. – On a lighter note, Mr Filch wants me to announce that there are now over five hundred items on his list of forbidden things, including everything that two students who recently left this school have invented, and that anyone carrying one of those items with them will be severely punished. And now I believe it´s time for you to get to your dormitories, so you´re nice and fresh for your classes tomorrow."

Over the shuffling of students standing up Harry saw Justin Finch-Fletchley gesturing desperately to gain his attention and mouthing: "DA! Start DA again!". Susan Bones next to him was nodding forcefully. Harry took the galleon out of his pocket, tapped it with his wand and set the date for Wednesday the following week. He saw Justin and Susan grin and give him a thumps up, they had obviously felt their galleons grow hot.

The new fifth year prefects were rounding up the first years and Harry noticed that Ginny had made Prefect this year. He made a mental note to congratulate her later. Together with Ron and Hermione he made his way out of the great hall, taking some short cuts, so they would arrive sooner at the common room than the first years. "Snape!" Ron groaned, "We should have expected it when we got into Potions!"

"Well," Hermione countered, "actually he might not be that bad. We need some teacher who knows what he´s talking about. Maybe he is a little unfair –okay, okay, he _is_ unfair- and he will expect a lot but we might learn something at last, and that´s the main thing!"

Harry thought of his concerns about the nervous Professor Sanfter and had to agree at least a bit with Hermione. He told his friends that he had set up a DA meeting the next week, and that they would discuss and decide then if and how they would continue.

Ron seemed more satisfied after hearing this, "Good, Harry, and in the meantime I´ll take comfort in the fact that he won´t last longer than a year anyway." and knocked on the wooden frame of the portrait of the fat lady.

"Centaur´s pride" Hermione said and the portrait swung open.

"Wait!" Neville came running behind them, "I don´t yet know the password!"

They waited until he reached them, then entered together the empty common room and sat down in their favourite chairs by the fire. Soon the rest of the students arrived and the room was crowded. The small Paul Wheeler trudged in at last; his face a mask of defiance but his eyes watery he stumbled up to his dormitory.

Harry managed to grab Ginny after that long enough to congratulate her for becoming Prefect before Dean came over, put an arm around her shoulders and gave him a dark look. Ginny blushed, mumbled a thanks and excused them quickly.

Returning to the fire Harry told Neville, Hermione and Ron about his Cousin´s girlfriend and that her little brother was in Gryffindor. Ron snorted at the thought of the Dursleys finding out that their precious son was going out with the sister of a freak´, and Harry had to explain his relatives´ view on magic to Neville. They then talked a little longer about Dumbledore´s announcements.

Hermione angrily snapped her fingers. "I can´t remember! _Rookwood_. I´m sure I´ve heard the name before. I already thought so when I read the article."

"You´ll remember again, you just need to give it a rest." Ron said, "You always remember, you´re not the smartest witch of Hogwarts for nothing!"

Also she kept on frowning Ron´s comment seemed to soothe her a bit. Neville asked with a glance at Harry: "The Sorting Hat, it said again we should unite this year. It´s pretty adamant that we must get along with the Slytherins. So what do you think, will you let Slytherins join the DA?"

Harry thought that it would make sense, but there was again the same problem of whom to trust. So he told Neville too that they would discuss all these questions in the first DA meeting, and then voiced something that had worried him since Hermione had pointed it out earlier. "What about the thing the founders couldn´t complete? You really think that there´s a hole in the wards? Isn´t there something about that in Hogwarts: A History´, Hermione?"

"No, I don´t think I´ve ever read anything about that. But the hat must have thought it important or it wouldn´t mention it in a Sorting."

Ron screwed up his face in thought. "Maybe it wanted to emphasise the unity part. There was something else about why they couldn´t do it, about unity, wasn´t there?"

"_They couldn´t reach the goal they set, for t´was in trust and unity they lacked_." Neville blushed. "I can remember things better when they are rhymed."

"Whatever it is, I don´t know if it was a good idea to tell everybody that there´s a hole in the wards."

When his friends went to bed Harry remained sitting by the fire and thought about Ron´s last statement. Would Voldemort hear about the hat´s song? Would he try to figure it out and use that missing piece, whatever it was? And hadn´t he, Harry, sworn to himself just this evening that he would not let Hogwarts fall?

So many things had happened that day that Harry felt his mind reeling. With the new year he wanted to make a new beginning, he wanted to start a fresh sheet after his godfather´s death. Live would go on, and he would try and learn from his mistakes. He would make his own decisions, take control of his live, he would try not to act too rashly any more and keep his temper. Be more sensible, listen to advice, learn whatever might help him, keep his friends safe, accept help, … and he would not let Sirius´ sacrifice be in vain, -for him, for his parents, for Cedric, he would not let Voldemort win, and he would somehow make sure that Hogwarts would remain standing when the prophecy was fulfilled.

Standing in the empty common room and looking out of the window onto the quiet lake and the stars above it Harry felt a new resolve welling up inside him. He was ready to face another year.


	4. Beginnings

**Chapter 4: Beginnings**

The next morning Professor McGonagall was handing out their timetables at breakfast.

"First thing today is Transfiguration, well, at least it´s not Snape – hey, look, we´ve got an evening lesson with Madam Hooch on Thursdays. What d´you think that is about?"

"It´s Apparition classes, obviously," Hermione said, not bothering to look up from behind the Daily Prophet, "you didn´t think the only class she teaches is first year flying lessons, did you? And as we can get our licenses when we turn seventeen, we need to learn how to apparate in sixth year."

Neville looked nervous, apparently he remembered his first flying lesson with Madam Hooch and wasn´t too keen on learning to apparate. Harry on the other hand was eager to but a slot on his own timetable distracted him. On Tuesday, eight to ten o´clock in the evening, "O. with Prof. D.". He quickly put his timetable in his bag, not sure if his Occlumency lessons still were a secret.

Soon later Harry, Ron and Hermione made their way to the first class of the new year, NEWT level Transfiguration. When they entered they realised that all houses were mixed together for NEWT classes because each student could choose the subjects they liked. So for example Seamus was in another Transfiguration class because he had Muggle studies now, as he had told them at breakfast. Harry sat down next to Hannah Abbott behind Ron and Hermione just as McGonagall stepped to her desk.

"You all have made it into NEWT level Transfiguration which means you got at least an E in your OWL. However this doesn´t guarantee that you can keep up that mark. We will do much more advanced transfigurations than in the last years, you will also learn how to conjure things up and how to animate things. These are very difficult spells and some of you will most likely not be able to perform them thoroughly. Nevertheless I expect you to try your hardest and to accomplish your assignments to the best of your ability. Today we will start with an easier time transfiguration spell, please take one of those apple seeds and try to transform them into an fully grown apple tree…"

When Harry had thought after the OWL year they would be allowed to relax a bit he was completely mistaken. After Transfiguration he hurried to meet Neville in the greenhouses for Herbology, where Professor Sprout gave them a speech resembling McGonagall´s about the difficulties of NEWT level courses and then continued: "This year we will study more theory as most of the plants for sixth year are very rare and hard to get and we don´t have them all here at Hogwarts. However today we will begin with the Mimbletus Mimbletonia, and I´m very happy to say that we have the opportunity to study that plant properly because Mr Longbottom was kind enough to lent me his."

Neville blushed at the praise and embarrassed but secure of his knowledge explained the properties of the plant that had grown a lot since last year. Harry still thought he had rarely seen a plant that ugly but was happy to hear that the stinksap didn´t have any unpleasant side-effects except its smell.

########################################################################

A class they had all been waiting for was Potions with Professor Sanfter. Harry thought that maybe without Snape constantly trying to fail him he might be able to brew a potion correctly. But the lesson turned out to be a catastrophe. Professor Sanfter had absolutely no authority whatsoever and with Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle being in the same class as the three Gryffindors disaster was predetermined.

It all started while Sanfter was giving his lecture about what they would do in Potions for the next two years. "…we will tailor a potion directly to only one human being. For the best way to do this you need the wand of the individual-" Harry could see Malfoy and his cronies mixing some ingredients in the back of the room- "while other things work too, wands are the most powerful ones to be used against their owners…" Harry pushed Hermione down beneath the table just in time as Goyle splashed a ladle of their mixture into their direction.

Padma Patil who sat in front of Hermione screamed as most of the liquid hit the back of her head and dripped down her robes. Smoke rose from the potion and Professor Sanfter squealed. "What did you do, dear? What´s that potion? Don´t be afraid, dear, we´ll fix that in an instant, …I hope…" Other people had now too realised that there were stray splatters on their robes, smoking and burning through the fabric. Harry heard Terry Boot next to Padma curse and take off his robe, trying to get the liquid away from himself, and saw a Slytherin girl near Goyle biting her lip until it was white and blinking to hold back her tears.

In the commotion nobody had seen the drops that hit Hermione´s ingredients until she suddenly scrambled back from a dense white fog that flowed down the leg of her table and crept along the floor. A panicked race for the door started as soon as the other students noticed the fog too and Professor Sanfter´s pleas for order were in vain. He stumbled out of the room after everyone else and closed the door with a relieved sigh behind him. "You, dear, and everyone who caught some of the potion, please go to the hospital wing, please…" Padma, whose hair was frizzy and sizzling and half missing by now, nodded crying and was accompanied by Terry to Madam Pomfrey, with the Slytherin girl and some others following.

"And you, dear," Sanfter said turning to Hermione, "please in future refrain from brewing something on your own… It´s not that I don´t understand curiosity, but you see how it can go wrong if you don´t know what you´re doing…" Hermione stared at Sanfter, her mouth opening and closing without a sound. "But it wasn´t her! It was…" Ron started but Sanfter was already worriedly eyeing the door "Oh, dear, oh, dear, what can it be? Well, class, I think we have to stop early today, you´re dismissed. Dear, you don´t remember what you were brewing, do you? No, I didn´t think so… well then hurry along now."

Harry saw Malfoy´s gleeful smirk as he walked away together with Crabbe and Goyle and desperately wanted to make Sanfter see the truth but the Potions teacher seemed to have forgotten them completely and was mumbling "Asphodel, powdered ogre´s eyes… no, that can´t be…".

When they finally moved up to the great hall for dinner the first thing Neville asked was: "And? How´s Potions without Snape?"

"Don´t ask!" Ron growled, while Hermione still seemed to be in a state of shock that a teacher believed she didn´t know what she was doing. So Harry recounted the whole class to Neville; they were relieved to see the potion victims return from the hospital wing in the middle of dinner.

########################################################################

Since it was Tuesday Harry made his way to Dumbledore´s office at eight o´clock. Standing in front of the Gargoyle he sighed. As usual he didn´t know the password. Before he could start guessing though the creature moved aside and Harry could hear two people coming downstairs. "The protections of the castle are very complex, as you´ll see, and nobody knows exactly what they are. Each Headmaster in the last thousand years has put his own spells over the already existing ones, and no one bothered to write down every spell…," McGonagall stepped out of the stairway followed by Rookwood, "Of course it was never intended to make the information about the wards common knowledge… Ah, Potter, you may go up, the Headmaster is awaiting you." Harry noticed that although she was talking politely her lips were thin, probably she still hadn´t forgotten her encounter with Ministry employees last year. The liaison officer gave him a curt, blank stare that Harry couldn´t discern before they walked away and he rode up the stairs.

"Hello, Harry, come in!" he heard Dumbledore say before he even had the time to knock. The office looked the same as usual, with all the little silver gadgets back in their places and Fawkes giving a soft welcome thrill when Harry entered. "Sit down. Would you like some tea? Or a Lemon Drop?"

Harry accepted a cup of tea but declined the Lemon Drop, while Dumbledore continued: "We won´t start with practical Occlumency lessons today, I want you to read a few things about the theory first. Here´s a sheet with all the books that I think might be helpful, and which chapters you should read. Some of them are in the Restricted Section so I´ve already told Madam Pinch that you are allowed to go in there. We will then talk next week about the different concepts of closing your mind and which concept sounds the most appealing to you."

Taking the parchment Harry wondered if this was a dismissal since they wouldn´t do anything more tonight. His cup of tea was still more than half full. But Dumbledore went on: "I told you last year that you should have been Prefect had you not had enough responsibility already. Now we have a similar decision to make and I´d like to hear your opinion on the topic. As you know Angelina Johnson graduated last year, and because of that Gryffindor needs a new Quidditch captain. You are the member with the most experience on the team, with Mr Weasley having played only one year and Miss Weasley, Mr Kirke and Mr Sloper even less. Professor McGonagall wanted to make you captain as soon as the ban was revoked but I stepped in."

Quidditch captain! That was something he could be really proud of, something he had achieved on his own, not because of his fame. He remembered the sense of freedom he always had in the air, how he missed it last year… And McGonagall had wanted him for captain at once, -but Dumbledore had stepped in… Harry felt the familiar anger rise in him –again Dumbledore was controlling his live, telling him what to do… on the other hand with his Occlumency lessons, the DA and Apparition he already had three busy evenings, could he handle not only Quidditch practise for himself but planning the training for the whole team as well? They needed new players, developing new strategies…

Harry looked at Dumbledore again and knew the Headmaster had watched the different emotions on his face and most likely guessed his train of thought. Resigned he answered: "No, I don´t think I´d be the best choice for captain. I don´t think I´ll have enough time for the team. Ron would be better…" Trying to squash his envy and jealousy Harry barely heard Dumbledore say: "Then I´ll tell Professor McGonagall that you sadly won´t have the time. Please don´t tell Mr Weasley yet of this decision."

He nodded absentmindedly and taking it as a real dismissal this time left the office. Quidditch captain –Sirius would have been so proud… _He´s dead! It doesn´t matter anymore anyway!_ _And you´d better concentrate on the important things, not play around on broomsticks!_

Not taking in anything Harry stormed back to Gryffindor tower until he stood in front of the Fat Lady and suddenly heard a sniffling behind an armour. Curious he walked back a few steps and was surprised to see Paul Wheeler sitting on the floor in the shadow, his face pressed against his knees.

"Eh, you… are you okay?"

"Yes! I´m fine! Just go away!"

"Erm, you´re sure? Why don´t you go in then? You really shouldn´t stay out here, it´s nearly curfew." Harry had thought about telling the boy that he was Dudley´s cousin but now was clearly not the time. He felt helpless as the First year gave no answer and wished Hermione was there, she always understood people better than he and surely would handle this situation much better. "Erm, really, whatever it is, just come in with me now, okay?"

_"I´m fine! __And I do what I want! Just leave me alone!"_ Paul screamed, pushed him aside with a furious glance from bloodshot eyes and ran to the portrait. Harry watched him climb in, shocked by the outburst and asking himself what was wrong with the boy.

When he got into the common room there was no sign of the First year while all the other new Gryffindors were sitting together at a table, talking about their adventures of the first days. Harry shook his head –had they really once been that small? –and went to sit near Ron who was beating Neville at chess. Hermione was sitting in the middle of a heap of parchments and books, muttering to herself.

Ron leaned over and whispered: "It´s those dratted books from Grimmauld Place again. Better don´t talk to her, I nearly got my head bitten off when I tried."

Harry took out his books, he could imagine how Ron had "tried to talk" to Hermione and was glad they weren´t still at each others throats. Nevertheless he followed Ron´s advice and began to leaf silently through his sixth year Defence book. They had their first lesson with Snape the next morning, and he would be prepared.

########################################################################

Breakfast the next day was quiet until McGonagall came over to the Gryffindor table. "Mr Weasley," she said after giving Harry a brief glance, "I´m glad to tell you that you have been chosen as the new Gryffindor Quidditch captain." Ron gaped. "I don´t think I need to remind you that all three chasers of the team graduated last year, so you´ll have to hold try-outs soon. And I expect you to select a good team, I´m rather fond of the cup in my office!"

"Quidditch Captain!" Ron yelled as soon as she was gone, "Me, Quidditch Captain! I can´t believe it, Harry! Oh, wait till I write home about it!" Harry was suddenly reminded of their first year, and Ron standing in front of the Mirror of Erised. It seemed as if Ron might see his heart´s desires fulfilled.

Too soon it was time for their first lesson and they found themselves sitting in one of the Defence classrooms. Snape entered with the sound of the bell and gave them his usual cold stare. "Due to a certain lack of decent teachers in this subject over the last years everyone who managed an OWL is allowed in this class. The Headmaster was of the opinion that you should not suffer from their inability. However I will not tolerate anyone dawdling or incompetent-" Snape´s sneer made Neville shrink back in his seat-"and those who think themselves better than the rest, because they joined an _illegal _group, -well, we´ll see how much you really learnt there… Just know: anyone not up to my standards will leave this class. This is a NEWT level course and I will not waste my time with those too simpleminded to understand the finer arts of Defence."

As always in Snape´s classes there was complete silence. Then - "Potter, what is a Quinquero Shield?"

Harry thought back over his summer readings. _Quinquero…_- "The Quinquero Shield is a shielding charm that can –when cast properly- protect up to five persons from most curses, with the exception of the Unforgivables of course." Harry said, looking Snape straight into the eyes. "Sir."

"And the Retrogradia Curse?"

Harry was sure none of these things were explained in the textbook, luckily he had been reading Hermione´s Curse-book. "It needs to be cast directly on your opponent´s wand by tapping it with your own wand while saying the incantation. Then every spell that is cast with this wand will backfire."

Snape kept twirling his wand while Harry spoke, his mouth twitching malevolently. "It seems you have indeed done some reading, Potter, and actually did _understand _it -I´m impressed. Since you already seem to know about it, maybe you´d like to show it to us? What about that shield –maybe you could shield Miss Granger, Mr Weasley and Mr Longbottom next to you, while I try to curse them?"

Harry didn´t like it, he had never actually attempted to cast that shield because of the Restriction of Underage Magic over the summer, and Snape seemed to know it. His friends shot him uneasy looks and Hermione shook her head discouragingly. Snape smiled challengingly. "Sure, Professor," he said, standing up.

Frantically recalling the incantation and correct wand-movement Harry saw Snape raise his wand. _What had he been thinking? Getting his friends into this just because he had to rise to Snape´s bait?_ Snape cast a curse Harry didn´t know –_What would it do? To his friends?_ _–"QUINQUERARE!"_

A light blue shield in front of Harry stopped the red curse from Snape, Snape´s eyes widened, -_Good, seems he didn´t expect this, I´ll show him!-_ and then the blue shield broke and the red curse struck Harry in the chest, knocking him backward into a table.

"Harry!" he heard Hermione´s anxious voice as the arms of his friends helped him up, he felt dizzy and had a hard time looking straight.

"It seems, Mr Potter doesn´t yet know everything, even if he likes to think so." Snape drawled, "and now open your books and read the chapter about shield charms. I want two rolls of parchment about that till next class, and you, Potter, will include an explanation as to why your shield failed!"

Harry was in a bad mood for the rest of the day and his head kept hurting. If he couldn´t take one of Snape´s curses how was he supposed to take on Voldemort? Glad he had the last period of the day free –Ron and Neville were in Divination, and Hermione had Arithmancy- Harry made his way to the library. Luckily the DA meeting was not before next week.

The library was nearly empty so early in the school year and Madam Pince examined Harry´s list of books about Occlumency critically before she let him pass into the Restricted Section. When he was finished he had a stack of books as high as the library tables and wondered how Dumbledore expected him to read them before next week.

Luna came skipping into the library as he was dragging his load out. She gave him a bright smile and said: "Hello Harry! Do you like to come to the library in the evening too? I´m here often, my roommates don´t like me listening to them."

"Ehm, no, I just had to borrow these books… Why don´t you tell your roommates to leave if they don´t want you to listen? It´s your dormitory as well."

"But I like the library at night, I always can imagine the books whispering to each other when it´s getting dark, about their stories and secrets… And I know what the girls in my dormitory are talking about anyway, they are making lists of the boys they like most."

"Oh, do they?" Harry gulped. Did the Gryffindor girls do that as well? He somehow couldn´t imagine Hermione partaking… And lists…

"Yes. You´re by the way near the top of the lists most of the time. They don´t like much your glasses, but they think your hair is nice and that you´re the hero-type."

Harry felt the blood rise to his cheeks: "Uh,… erm,… you seem to know pretty much for them not wanting you to listen…"

Luna gave him a surprisingly _present_ wink: "I have my ways…" and then wandered away between the rows of books.

########################################################################

School life carried on like that for the next week. A highlight was Madam Hooch´s Apparition class. They had studied the concepts behind Apparition because she wanted all of them to understand the theory before they moved on to real practise.

"You have to concentrate really hard and exclusively on where you want to go. If you´re not specific enough or get distracted you will most likely splinch yourself. Therefore I would also not recommended Apparating while you don´t feel well. And you should be sure and confident about your ability –that´s why a lot of grown up wizards and witches don´t apparate –they simply don´t feel comfortable enough although they passed their license."

The lesson left Harry feeling pleased. He thought he had understood the main concept and was confident he´d finally found a way of wizarding travel he liked. And although he couldn´t get a license before his next birthday it might come in handy in an emergency situation.

On Wednesday evening Harry was going to the Room of Requirement early. He wanted some time by himself to think over what he needed to say when he turned a corner and saw Malfoy quietly talking to the liaison officer.

Rookwood listened with his blank face, from time to time nodding quietly, and Harry wished he had some Extendable Ears. He never saw the Ministry employee actually _do_ something, he just seemed to hang around everywhere, watching, listening, never giving anything away about himself. Harry hid behind a statue and strained his ears. "…can´t stand …but last year… in his office … Snape…not the truth…" Try as he might he couldn´t hear more. What was it with Snape? Why would Rookwood ask about him? And what was not true?

Malfoy finished talking and Rookwood nodded one last time before striding away. The Slytherin straightened up and followed him slowly.

########################################################################

The Room of Requirement provided Harry with a cozy fireplace and lots of armchairs and soon the other members of the DA filled in. Everyone from last year except Marietta and Cho and those who had graduated was there. Harry cleared his throat nervously as he stood in front of them: "Erm, welcome back to the DA, I´m glad to see you have all decided to come here tonight. I´d like to hear your opinions on what should become of the DA, if we should continue, what exactly we should do, if we should let new members join… I have some ideas already but I´d like to hear what you think. And well, first I think I need to tell you that I´ve asked Dumbledore for permission to continue and he said something like "no sensible teacher would be displeased with his students practising in their free time", and although I don´t know if that applies to Snape, we are free to meet as we like."

Zacharias Smith sat up straighter and answered: "What I want to know at first is what happened in the Ministry? Why were you there, and was You-Know-Who really there? And are the articles in the Daily Prophet true?"

Harry had expected this ever since the Hogwarts Express and was prepared. "I cannot tell you everything about it, you must understand that there are some things that I can´t speak about. We were there because I was tricked by Voldemort and my friends chose to follow me. And yes, Voldemort was there, as well as several Death Eaters, and we had a hard time fighting them until Dumbledore arrived with some other wizards. Voldemort fled after a duel with the Headmaster but not before Minister Fudge had seen him, so that the Ministry finally acknowledged his return. And don´t believe the newspapers – they write what Fudge wants them to publish."

He could see that Zacharias was not satisfied with his answer and fixed him with a hard stare. "I won´t say more about it now, as I´ve already explained that I can´t talk about it freely. And we have more important things to discuss."

Zacharias chose to remain silent after that and Harry allowed himself a quiet sigh of relief.

Ernie was the next to say something: "I´m sure I´m speaking for a lot of us when I say that we need to continue with the DA. With this new threat of You-Know-Who it is more important than ever that we know how to defend ourselves. And while Umbridge is gone for good Professor Snape is not exactly the teacher I would have wanted to replace her. –"

"Yes," interrupted Terry, "I think we all agree on continuing." There was a general murmuring of consent. "But what did you mean with what we should do´, won´t we carry on like last year?"

Harry took a deep breath: "Well, Ernie said it before, we need to defend ourselves. But there´s more. Do we only want to learn some new spells, enough to pass our NEWTs and survive an attack that we hope will never happen? Or do we want to do something more?

Now that Voldemort´s return has been publicly acknowledged he won´t hide anymore. Just see what happened during his last rise. What if there are Death Eaters coming for Hogwarts? Attacking students, -some first years on the Quidditch field, or the third years on their first Hogsmeade weekend? Will you watch and be glad it isn´t you -this time?

I won´t stand back when something like this happens. You probably know that I never liked life with my relatives, for me _Hogwarts is_ _home_, and I know that I won´t stand back when they attack here."

Brief silence followed that statement, then everyone started talking together. "Do you want us to go out there and fight Death Eaters? Do you really expect us to do that?"

"No, Padma, I don´t expect anyone to go out and look for a fight. All I want to know is if Death Eaters come here and attack students will you try to protect them? That´s the main question: are we satisfied with just defending ourselves or do we take on some more responsibility?

And it´s not only fighting – it´s also the teaching, the research, I can´t do all that on my own any more. Last year I taught you things I already knew. This year I need to learn the new stuff myself first… I would need a lot of help from you with that, and so I need to know how much you´re willing to do."

Some DA members were thinking that over quietly, others were whispering in little groups. Hermione gave him an encouraging nod while Ron frowned at Zacharias who looked ready to argue. Harry let the discussion go on for a little while longer before most of the students seemed to have made up their mind.

"You just said that You-Know-Who fooled you last year when you led the others to the Ministry. I´m not going to take a lot of incalculable risks because you want to jump into one of your hair-raising adventures!"

"No one asked you to, Smith! We chose to follow Harry last year, and we´d do it again in an heartbeat!" Ron snapped.

"Erm, I think that is our responsibility to support the staff and the teachers in case of an attack. Dumbledore and the Professors would surely be able to beat any Death Eaters, but of course we would help them in any way we can," stated Ernie.

Neville sat up in his armchair. "I´m completely with Harry. He managed to spoil the Death eater´s plans in the Ministry against all odds. I trust him that he will do what he can to keep us out of harm, and I think there´s nobody more able to do so than him. And about Hogwarts, we can´t solely rely on the teachers, they can´t do everything! We are Hogwarts students, we should be willing to do something for our school too!"

"So, erm, who is willing to take some more responsibility then?" Harry asked, a bit embarrassed by Neville´s praise.

His closest friends raised their hands fastest but more hands went up, some slowly, hesitatingly, others more confident, in the end every single student had his hand in the air. Ernie huffed pompously, Zacharias had a reluctant smile on his face and Padma seemed to ask herself what she had gotten herself into.

"I- well, I didn´t expect you all to agree. That´s great! Alright, then you should all think of what your strengths are, and tell me next week. We´ll make a plan of who´ll research what and teach it to the others, okay?

And then there´s one last topic I wanted to talk about. Do we want to take new members? With all the graduates we are a lot less people than last year. You all heard the Sorting Song, about the unity of the houses, and I think the more people working together the better. But at the same time I don´t want everything we do become common knowledge."

"I think we should take some new members but be very careful whom we select. We should keep our meetings as secret as possible, so we would have the advantage of surprise. Maybe Hermione could make another parchment like last year, so we´d know if anyone was sneaking," Terry said.

"Okay, so no new members unless we trust them completely, and we will figure something out to make sure nobody talks about things they shouldn´t." Hermione seemed to already think about that and Harry decided to drop his last bombshell. "I would like to let some Slytherins join. -Please let me finish! _All_ the houses need to unite, and what better way to do this than in the defence of the school? I know you don´t trust them, and I certainly wouldn´t want Malfoy to join us, but there must be some decent students in Slytherin, too!

We just need to find them, and until we can manage that I won´t suggest we let them in. But when we figured out a way whom to trust I want you to judge and treat them just like every other student."

The DA members didn´t look too happy with this but since it wouldn´t have immediate consequences didn´t object.

Hermione cleared her throat: "We should come to an end, it´s already past curfew… We wouldn´t want to get caught after our first meeting, would we?"

"Yeah, right, Hermione, I´ll set a date for the next meeting sometime next week, then, okay?"

The DA members left in small groups, at last only Ron and Hermione remained with Harry. "Good meeting, mate!" – "Yes, you got them to agree to everything you wanted. You´ll see, they´ll accept the Slytherins when the time comes." –"I´m not so sure if I want that time to come..." – "Oh, Ron!-"

Harry silenced them with a movement of his hand as they stepped out. There - behind an armour at the end of the corridor moved a figure. Harry cursed himself. Why hadn´t he made sure the corridor was deserted with the Marauder´s Map? They raised their wands until the figure stepped into the light.

"I knew there was a meeting tonight, from my galleon. Please, Harry, I need to talk to you for a moment. Alone." It was Cho Chang.

* * *

_**A.N.:** Thanks for pointing out my mistake with Neville and the Thestrals! I thought about removing it, but as it isn´t really important for the story I´ll keep that scene as it is for the time being. _

_Mark Evans won´t appear in my story -I already have the little brother of Dudley´s girlfriend as a Gryffindor First year, so I really don´t need him for the plot._

_And about Rookwood, thanks for telling me that he´s also in the fourth book! You´ll see more of him in the next chapter..._

__


	5. Solutions and Questions

**Chapter 5: Solutions and Questions**

"Cho," Harry lowered his wand and motioned for Hermione and Ron to go on. Cho squinted at Hermione and waited till their steps couldn´t be heard anymore.

"It´s about Marietta. I know you´re probably still angry that she talked about your club but it´s really enough now! She can´t have forever that horrible thing on her face! They tried everything during the holidays, her parents even went to St. Mungo´s with her, but nothing worked. You have to take it off!"

"Eh, I don´t even know what that curse was, Cho, you should have asked Hermione while she was here."

"That girl! I should have known that it was all her idea!"

"It was Hermione´s idea, but I agree totally with her! Your friend deserved what she got! Why did she have to run to Umbridge and betray us? Dumbledore had to go because of her!"

"She didn´t have much choice, -it was her family, they work in the Ministry, she had to! And don´t you think it´s enough now? It´s bad enough the whole school knows what she did. Please, she´s a nervous wreck, and I promised her you would help."

Her eyes were bright again and Harry wondered if she would start to cry for her friend now or if it was just his presence that made her teary-eyed all the time.

"Oh, well, I´ll ask Hermione about that charm, and how to reverse it," he sighed, after all it didn´t really matter anymore if Marietta had her face covered in blisters or not. Something like triumph flashed in her eyes, but it was gone in a second and he didn´t know if he had just imagined it.

########################################################################

"What did she want?" Ron enquired as soon as Harry climbed through the portrait hole.

"To know how to get rid of the curse on her friend."

"I thought so." Hermione said from behind a book. "I gather they tried everything they could think of and didn´t succeed, and she didn´t want to ask me because she thought you´d be easier to convince?"

"Er, yeah, I told her I´d ask you about it. So what was that charm anyway? And can you reverse it?"

"Of course I can. Or rather she can. In fact I was thinking about using something similar for the DA again. It was a Goblin curse –maybe that´s why they couldn´t help her at St Mungo´s, Goblin magic is not very well known by wizards. I only found it while I was looking into house-elf magic.

It´s one of the simpler curses they use at Gringotts –you get "Thief" written over your face when you steal something, and to reverse it you have to give it back to the owner. As she can´t undo what she did she has to honestly regret doing it and to apologise to the betrayed one."

"And how do you want to use it for the DA again?"

"Well, I thought we should set up some rules, and then let everyone sign a parchment again, but this time knowing what will happen if they break their promise. And perhaps I can get the parchment to show the names only to members. We might be allowed to meet openly now but I still think some precaution would be good. Mhm- I´ll see what other Goblin spells I can find, maybe there are some to find out whom you can trust…"

When Harry went to bed that night Hermione was still poring over books and he wondered how she intended to start researching Goblin magic on top of everything else she was already doing –and what _was_ she doing all the time anyway?

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On Friday morning Harry noticed bewildered Ginny´s weird behaviour around him –he had sat down next to her at the table but when the other Gryffindor boys entered she had suddenly scooted off, knocking over the milk, and then blushed darkly. He sighed. He really did not understand girls. Last year he had thought she had finally gotten over her crush on him, and she was with Dean now, so why this backfall into shyness and awkwardness? Maybe he should ask Hermione, she had explained Cho´s behaviour last year to him and –

"Oh my god! Of course, that´s it! How could I forget!"

Ron dropped his toast at her sudden outburst. "Hermione, would you mind keeping your newspaper away from my plate!"

"Here, look! It just reminded me, I don´t understand why I didn´t remember it sooner!" and she shoved the Daily Prophet on the table for Harry and Ron to read.

_Ministry puts more guards at Azkaban Prison_

_Minister Fudge yesterday announced the stationing of more Aurors at Azkaban. "The public need not fear that any of those prisoners can escape. Due to certain rumours the Ministry decided to put some more guards there to calm the fears in the wizarding world that the situation at the prison might not be totally under control." The Minister said that all rumours about prisoners having escaped or planning to escape -probably with the help of You-Know-Who- are completely false and only spread by those that seek to undermine Ministry´ authority…._

Harry saw that Ron had a similar clueless expression on his face. What did Hermione get so excited about? It was just the usual rubbish from Fudge.

"Harry, can I borrow Hedwig for a letter?" she said stuffing her things into her bag.

"Sure, but what…" But she was already gone.

"I hate it when she does that. You´d think she enjoys keeping us in the dark!"

They didn´t see Hermione until their first class, Transfiguration, again. "So, what was so important about…" but before Ron could finish his question McGonagall stepped in and began her lesson. "Today we will begin to animate objects. It requires a lot of concentration so I expect you to focus especially hard on your task today. Please take out your Transfiguration book and try to animate it so it will turn the pages on its own."

Due to the concentrated silence in class they could not ask Hermione again. She was the only student to make her book at least twitch, and after over an hour of concentrating hard on an unmoving book the rest of the class left frustrated and exhausted. Harry thought he might have done better if he hadn´t been wondering about Azkaban and newspaper articles every time he tried to focus.

McGonagall called Ron back at the end of the lesson and meanwhile Hermione had to go to Ancient Runes. "I´ll tell you both tonight in the common room. I think I´ll have some more information by then too!"

Harry had a free period and so he waited for Ron. "What did she want?"

"It´s about Quidditch-tryouts. I have to do them quickly so I arranged with her to book the pitch on Saturday. You´ll help me, won´t you? You´ve been on the team longer than I have. I don´t know if I can pick the right ones."

Harry assured his friend that he would help him, and that Ron would make a great captain and they lost themselves in a Quidditch discussion till their next lesson.

########################################################################

Before dinner Harry made his way back alone from his late afternoon lesson in the green houses. Neville had stayed behind to discuss some rare plant that was supposed to be extinct with Professor Sprout and Harry had dawdled a bit behind the rest of his classmates to enjoy the last rays of sunlight.

"Ah, Mr Potter." He turned sharply. Rookwood was standing there, his mouth curled in a friendly smile. "Just the person I was looking for." His voice was exactly like the rest of him -smooth and forgettable.

"As you know I´m working for the Ministry on the security of Hogwarts. And while we can prevent danger from entering the school we need to work on what´s already inside. So I am checking everyone inside the castle, and since you always seem to know a lot of what´s going on here I wanted to talk to you too. Is there anyone in the school that you think can´t be trusted?"

Harry could think of some people he didn´t trust, but tell Rookwood? He didn´t know if he could trust _Rookwood_ after all…

His hesitation must have shown because Rookwood continued: "I think we both agree that we want to protect Hogwarts, don´t we?" His smile had not changed once throughout his whole speech. Harry mumbled a noncommittal "Yeah".

"I do understand if you don´t want to talk bad about a teacher but I´d really like to hear your opinion. Of course I´d keep everything you tell me confidential."

He leaned a bit closer. "We have reports at the Ministry about a certain Professor of you, nothing definite, but enough to raise some suspicions. So tell me, Mr Potter, what do you think of Professor Snape?"

Harry remembered with a jolt the night of the DA meeting when he had overheard Malfoy and Rookwood. What was the liaison officer playing at? Asking everyone about Snape? Surely Dumbledore wouldn´t like that, wouldn´t have allowed that… And Snape –_he_ definitely was one of the people Harry didn´t trust, but say that to a Ministry employee about whom he did know even less…

"Erm, well, he´s not exactly my favourite Professor, I think he doesn´t like me, but I really don´t know that much about him…"

"So, he doesn´t like you, you think? Why? Can you tell me more?"

Harry could see no danger in telling Rookwood what the whole school knew anyway. "He always picks on me during class, and he´s really unfair to Gryffindors in general and favours his own house. He knew my Dad at school and they didn´t like each other, and I think he hates me because of my father."

"But didn´t he offer you remedial potions lessons last year?" Rookwood´s eyes were piercing now. Where did he know that from? – _Malfoy…_

"No, the Headmaster made him give me these lessons because I need Potions to become an Auror, and my Potion´s marks weren´t good. He didn´t give me those classes for long though –he threw me out of his office because – because he said I didn´t work hard enough…"

"Now did he indeed…" There was a glint in Rookwood´s eyes that Harry could not read. "I thank you for your answers Mr Potter, they were of great help to me."

The liaison officer walked back to the castle and Harry shuddered in a sudden cool breeze. The sun had set while they talked and he hurried through the rising darkness to the brightly lit school.

########################################################################

That evening in the common room Ron was planning what to do the next day for tryouts and Harry read through his Occlumency books once more. In his lesson with Dumbledore they had done nothing but talk about the different concepts of Occlumency. There were so many –one claimed you had to think hard on one sole thing, for example an apple, and shut everything else out so the one trying to read your mind would see only the apple, another theory consisted of putting your thoughts in different spaces in your head depending on how much you wanted to hide that thought, and yet another one said you just needed to "feel completely at home in your own body and mind" and everything would be okay. Apparently there were as many methods of Occlumency than wizards capable of the art.

Dumbledore had pointed out to Harry that the main idea behind all approaches was control over one´s mind, which was a terribly difficult thing to do, and therefore all those methods were developed to help with the task. Harry had settled for placing all his thoughts in different bundles with those of highest importance, like the prophecy, buried deepest under all his other thoughts, and thinking of a paper clip to focus on. For being in control of the mind it was important to get rid of all feelings and emotions and he surely had no particular emotion or feeling connected with a paper clip.

He was sifting through his memories, trying to order them, to put the most secret ones deep down in his mind. With time he would hopefully be able to close off all of his thoughts but for now hiding any dangerous knowledge would be a sufficient improvement.

He didn´t know how much time had passed when Hermione arrived. She sank out of breath into an armchair near him and Ron immediately came over. "Now, tell us! What was it about that Azkaban article this morning?"

"You remember the first evening back here, when I said I couldn´t remember where I had heard the name of Rookwood? When I saw the paper this morning it reminded me. So I sent Hedwig to the Daily Prophet and asked for one of their old copies."

She handed them an newspaper. It was the article about the mass breakout from Azkaban from last year. Among the pictures of the escaped prisoners there was a pockmarked man with greasy hair, slowly tapping his fingers together. _Algernon Rookwood, convicted of leaking Ministry of Magic secrets to He Who Must Not Be Named._ Harry gasped. The man had been at the Ministry last year.

But Ron was louder than him: "A Death Eater? You mean there´s an escaped Death Eater running loose in Hogwarts?"

"No," Hermione rolled her eyes, "that´s Algernon Rookwood, the liaison officer´s name is Henry."

"So what?! Maybe they are brothers then or something. Probably from one of those old pureblood lines with the whole family worshipping You-Know-Who!"

"You can´t judge someone by his brother. Look at you and Percy! You wouldn´t want everyone to think you´re just like him only because he´s your brother!"

"Yeah," Harry joined their talk, "Sirius was from one of these pureblood families as well, and he turned out differently. And Rookwood was one of the Death Eaters who tried to get the prophecy, so I doubt he´s running loose any more."

There was a short silence after he said Sirius´ name, then Ron cleared his throat: "Why did you tell us if you don´t think it´s important?"

"I think it is important, I just don´t want to jump to conclusions. I think we should be careful around him. –What is it , Harry?"

He told them of his encounter with Rookwood today and what he overheard the day of the first DA meeting. Hermione seemed worried. "Either he´s a Death Eater trying to find out if Snape is loyal to them which isn´t good because Snape is a spy for the order or he´s working for the Ministry trying to prove Snape is a Death Eater which isn´t much better. Maybe you should tell Dumbledore, Harry, or at least make sure Snape tells the same story as you."

Harry said nothing to this. Maybe Snape _was_ a Death Eater? Did he trust Dumbledore´s judgement about the teacher? But if Rookwood was a Death Eater too… -it was all so complicated, he had lots of information but was missing the important pieces, it didn´t fit and he didn´t know what to believe.

At any rate his story should align with Snapes´. Staying as close to the truth as possible seemed to have been a good idea. Only Snape -and Dumbledore of course, but Rookwood would never ask Dumbledore -could contradict what he had said, and the teacher wouldn´t talk about Occlumency and the events that led to throwing Harry out of his office… But nevertheless he needed to know exactly what Harry had told the liaison officer so he wouldn´t make up something different. Harry sighed. Trying to have a polite talk with Snape –_fat chance._

########################################################################

Saturday morning dawned bright and windy. Ron kept watching the sky and hardly ate anything for breakfast. "Come on, it´s not as if this was an important match! You´ll just let them fly around a while and then you post the new team tomorrow."

Ron looked at Harry like he was mad. "Picking the team is one of the most important parts of being captain! And I don´t know if I can do this…What if I´m no good at captain, what if Gryffindor looses because I´m no good… I should never have agreed to become captain in the first place."

Finally it was time and Harry dragged Ron outside. Kirke and Sloper were standing already on the pitch and Ginny arrived shortly after them. Ron suddenly seemed to have lost the ability to speak. Harry stooped on his foot. "It´s only your sister and Kirke and Sloper!"

Ron gave him a panicking look but then visibly pulled himself together. "Eh, hello, okay – we´re all the players that are still on the team, so we need to find two more chasers. Ginny agreed to play chaser now that Harry´s back. I want you all to get into the air and play a mock game with those who want to try out. One Beater, three chasers on each team. Harry, you´ll play the other keeper. –What are you waiting for? Get up!"

Soaring on his broomstick –that McGonagall had rescued from the Dungeons and given back to him on his second day- and enjoying the feeling of ease Harry could see Ron telling the dozen or so student s that had shown up for tryouts about the procedure.

Three hours later he didn´t feel at ease anymore. His back was sore, his hands and feet hurt from stopping the Quaffles and he had gotten a Bludger to the head as he tried to prevent a goal. The other team members weren´t doing much better. Kirke and Sloper had let the Bludgers do what they wanted for most of the past hour. Ginny seemed ready to fall of her broom, constantly playing with rookies left her to dive after all the misdirected shoots. Ron was the only one still playing with verve.

Luckily half an hour later all students that had shown up for tryouts had played long enough for Ron and he called an end. "Good, thanks everyone who showed up, I´ll think it over and then I´ll post the new team on the message board! Team, I need you stay behind a moment."

The team members groaned. Harry longed for a shower. When everyone else had left Ron continued: "All right, now I want your opinions. Who do you think we should pick?"

Kirke and Sloper shuffled their feet. Harry knew they had had enough to do with the Bludgers and hadn´t payed much attention to the chasers at all. Ginny croaked: "I don´t know, that third year girl was pretty fast, Elizabeth I think, though her aim was off… or Richard, he´s in my year. Not that second year girl who kept falling of her broom and _definitely_ not Dennis Creevey! And now, _please_, let´s end this, I need something to drink."

Ron looked put out by the teams less than enthusiastic attitude but relented. "Okay, then we call it a day now. If you have any more ideas tell me before I post the member list tomorrow."

When Harry emerged from a long shower and went back to the common room he spotted Ron brooding over notes and names and Hermione sniffing disapprovingly. "You could have taken a shower too, Ron, you really need one."

But Ron for once didn´t didn´t listen to her. "… not him, he´s no team player… no, afraid of speed… -Harry! Good you´re here, you can help me with this! What did you think of the lot?"

Harry went through the possible new chasers in his head. No, not Dennis –he was way to reckless, had flown straight into his fellow chaser so she had to go to the hospital wing – then there were two or three second years who knew practically nothing about the game, or flying for that matter… a fifth year who was absolutely scared of the Bludgers… -a fourth year girl had scored sometimes against him, she was very quiet and one didn´t notice her much but her aim was good…

"That girl from fourth year, I don´t know her name, she´s rather shy I think, but she´s good at the goals… And I was wondering, well, you know how much games I missed because I spent the time in hospital wing or something –maybe we could get a reserve seeker? The girl Ginny mentioned, Elizabeth, she is a good flier and she doesn´t need to aim as a seeker."

Ron stared into space for so long Harry thought he hadn´t heard him. "Yeah, right, good idea, I know who you mean, Joanne Tailor. I´ll think about a reserve…" and he turned back to his notes. They looked more complicated than Transfiguration, and at least twice as much as Ron usually wrote down during a lesson.

It was past midnight when Ron scribbled down a few words on a parchment and put it on the board.

_Gryffindor Quidditch Team:_

_Seeker: Harry Potter_

_Beaters: Jack Sloper_

_ Andrew Kirke_

_Chasers:Ginny Weasley_

_ Joanne Tailor_

_ Richard Burkes _

_Keeper: Ron Weasley_

_Reserve: Elizabeth Eaton_

########################################################################

The following day left Harry feeling restless. He had spent the whole day catching up on his homework, only taking a break for meals, and in the evening he craved for something to do. Neville and Ron were in an even worse mood, they had to write a three rolls of parchment horoscope about their future life for Trelawney (Firenze was teaching the students below NEWT level as she had insisted her Inner Eye worked better with only the older ones around) and were running out of ideas. Hermione of course had long since finished with her homework, however she was working on translating the Black-books again.

On which Ron had made a snide comment, she had snapped back and in the end it resulted in them not speaking to each other and both being extremely edgy. It was an explosive atmosphere that evening in the common room.

"Hey, there´s Hagrid! Looks like he´s making tea. We haven´t yet visited him this year…" Harry said looking out of the window at the giant´s hut.

"Harry, it´s already dark out there, and it´s after curfew. In any case you´ll see Hagrid tomorrow in Care of Magical Creatures."

He knew she was right but her tone irked him –like she was talking to a three year old, like she was sometimes talking to Ron when she was particularly exasperated with him.

"It won´t be the same. It´s class, I can´t ask him about Grawp then, now can I?"

Hermione looked up from her book, rolled her eyes and sighed: "You really think you should get out now and risk getting caught by Snape? Just to ask about Grawp? And with Rookwood around the school?"

"With the map and the cloak nobody would know I´m there."

"Oh, be sensible! This is just plain stupid! Why don´t you go tomorrow afternoon, after classes?"

"Maybe I don´t want to be sensible! I just want to visit Hagrid, what´s the big deal?"

"Fine!" She huffed, "Why don´t you go then already? Why ask me if you don´t want to hear what I tell you? I really don´t know why I even bother to talk!" She grabbed her things and stormed up the stairs to the girl´s dormitories.

Harry felt a bit guilty but her bossy attitude annoyed him too much to call her back. Neville ruffled his parchments awkwardly while Ron remarked gruffly: "Yeah, we´re all too bloody immature and stupid for Miss I´m-All-Grown-Up-And-Sensible."

"You want to come?"

"No, I can´t. The horoscope´s due tomorrow and I haven´t yet reached graduation…" Neville shook his head as well and Harry could see that he didn´t think much of his plan to sneak out.

While he went through the still full common room to retrieve his cloak and map he had the nagging feeling that it was indeed a bit childish and sulky to sneak out just to spite Hermione.

He crept down the stairs of the dormitory hidden under his cloak and stood by the door waiting. When a large deck of Exploding Snap cards went off by the first years and everyone was busy watching them he slipped out the portrait hole and into the dark corridor. He slowly made his way down to the entrance, carefully avoiding Peeves who was placing water buckets above all classroom doors on second floor. Otherwise the castle was deserted and he did not see a living being until he entered the Great Hall.

Fast steps made him shrink back and hold his breath. But it wasn´t a teacher – a girl quickly moved to the doors, her wand grabbed hard in her hand and her eyes searching the Hall. With a last glance around she wrenched the door open and sneaked out. He knew who she was – the girl who got sprayed with potions by Goyle, though he couldn´t remember her name.

His curiosity aroused he waited a moment then followed her. She walked straight to the forest and he hesitated, but the curiosity won.

She had enlightened her wand and kept looking around at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Glancing around nervously and wincing at the sounds of animals and whatever else lived under the trees she seemed afraid to venture in any further. Then a cry inside the forest caught her attention –and Harry´s. It was a human cry, the cry of a child.

She straightened and strode determinedly in between the trees. Harry thought about alerting Hagrid but yet he didn´t know what was going on and until he would reach the hut the girl would already have vanished between the trees. They passed a suspicious looking pond with bubbles slowly ascending in the middle, and something gnarling behind some bushes, and a sudden horrible cry directly above them made her stop dead in mid step. Harry could see the white in her eyes in the moonlit clearing as she seemed scared stiff. But she began to move forward yet again.

It was then that Harry realised they had some company. Following the girl beside the path were twigs bent, some branches swinging back just as he reached them. He could not _see_ anything though –wait, there were some blurry lines. Then it hit him. Whoever was there had himself disillusioned, which meant it was a wizard and not some forest creature. He did not know if that reassured him or not.

"Sarah! Jolene!" the girl called out suddenly. Harry turned back to her. Two other girls had scrambled out from behind some trees. One was sobbing uncontrollably, the other looked too frightened to make a sound. They were at the most twelve or thirteen.

"Let´s get back to Hogwarts. Come on! The sooner we get out of the forest the better."

"They brought our stuff in here, all our books and homework. And Ruby! And they told us they had hidden it here and we would never get it back… We´ve been in here for hours, and then it got dark, and we couldn´t find the way back…" sniffed the crying one.

"I know, I heard them talking about it in the common room. Did you find your things? And Ruby? Then let´s go!" Harry noticed the quiet girl holding a tiny cat pressed against her chest and both of them carrying backpacks, obviously filled with their school things.

It might have been the loud sobbing that drew attention to them or simply bad luck but their way back went not as smoothly as the way in. About half way out a ferocious growling made the group of girls stop. "Run! Stay on the path! Go!" the older girl shouted as she saw a giant dark green creature move out of the trees. _"Impedimenta!"_ The curse halted the beast and she turned and ran after the younger girls. However the creature recovered after a moment. Harry could see it clearly now –green, doglike, but as big as a bull.

He intended to fire a stunner as someone else cried _"Stupefy!"._ He had completely forgotten the disillusioned one. Seeing that the beast was subdued for real this time Harry hurried after the girls. The Forbidden Forest was becoming a bit too crowded for his taste this night.

Finally he reached the last trees and could see the three girls running toward the school. He stopped near some bushes and carefully took out the Marauders Map. Being back on Hogwarts grounds and with the help of the moonlight he might be able to find out who the disillusioned wizard was that had helped the girls so unexpectedly. Scanning the map he quickly found "Daphne Greengrass", "Sarah McLachlan" and "Jolene Martin" moving to the Slytherin common room. Searching outside the castle he spotted between himself and the entrance another dot, labelled "Graham Cole". And just inside the Hall "Argus Filch".

Harry stood in front of the doors watching his map. "Argus Filch" had seen the door open and sent "Mrs Norris" to sniff around, and "Graham Cole" had dodged them by slipping up to the first floor and now was hiding near the broom closet there. Harry decided to go in as Filch went up to the first floor too. Sneaking up the stairs he heard the caretaker murmur: "Go, sniff around, we know there´s someone here. Nasty students, we´ll find them."

Being especially careful on the first floor he climbed silently further on the staircase. After the second floor he hesitated. No one deserved getting caught by Filch. _"Alohomora!"_

The spell, aimed at the whole second floor, made the classroom doors fly wide open. Peeves´ buckets made a shattering racket, the water flooded the corridor. "There! On the second floor! We´ll get them!" Harry ran.

Out of breath he reached the common room and was glad it was empty. Apparently Ron and Neville had tired of waiting for him. His watch showed half past one in the morning –he hadn´t realised he had been gone that long.

And what _had_ happened this evening? He looked at the map again. Filch was on the second floor, probably cursing about the water, and "Graham Cole" walked safely away from first floor. He couldn´t place the name and hadn´t seen anything except a blurry shape but the disillusioned wizard had definitely watched over the girls and made sure they reached the castle. Who was he?

"Graham Cole" moved through the Great Hall. He took the same route as the girls before him had. He went straight into the Slytherin common room.

_What the hell was going on at Hogwarts?_

**_

* * *

_**

**_A.N.:_**_ I picked the name Algernon Rookwood from the article mentioned in the text when I started to write that story. Now I´ve found out that there´s also an Augustus Rookwood, mentioned in the fourth book, chapter 30. Augustus was working in the Department of Mysteries and had a network of spies giving him information he then passed on to Voldemort. Harry watched Karkaroff telling the Wizengamot about it in Dumbledore´s pensieve._

_I don´t know if the different names are a mistake (their crimes are rather similar –I don´t think two different people with the same surname committing the same crimes is very probable), but for my story at least they will be only one person -Algernon Augustus Rookwood._


	6. The Building of an Army

**Chapter 6: The Building of an Army**

"So, you´re informed about everything you _had to_ know about Grawp, now?" Hermione asked snappishly the next morning while they went down to breakfast.

"No." Harry felt annoyed. "I saw Peeves and Filch." If he had listened to her he would never have seen anything from last night. So why tell her now?

_I told you so´_ was clearly written on her face, though she didn´t say it.

Vexed he turned to Ron. "Got your horoscope ready?"

"Yeah, sorry I didn´t wait for you. I decided to predict my death shortly after graduation –you know how she always enjoys that- and it saved me lots of time. Neville was still scribbling on what he´d do when he´d be 78 when I went to bed."

Down the Great Hall Cho and Marietta were just leaving the Ravenclaw table. Harry hesitated at the door. He might as well just get over with it. Motioning for Ron and Hermione to go on he cleared his throat to catch Cho´s attention.

"I asked Hermione how to get rid of the curse." He looked at Marietta for the first time really since that evening in Dumbledore´s office. "There´s no countercurse. You have to honestly regret what you´ve done, and you have to apologise for it, then it´ll go away."

Cho seemed furious. "How could she…! How dare she…! Wants to humiliate us-" But her friend looked relieved. "That´s it? That´s all and then I´m rid of this?" She motioned with a grimace at her face. "I do regret that I ever talked about the DA, I regret that I ever joined…" She looked Harry directly into the eyes. "Alright, I do apologise for betraying you. It was a cowardly thing to do, I was too weak to stand up against my family… I´m really sorry for what happened because of me… Can you accept my apology?"

She sounded genuine. He wouldn´t trust her again any time soon but it would only work if she regretted her actions honestly anyway. He nodded. "I accept it."

There was an uneasy silence. They all waited for something to happen. Marietta slowly took down the balaclava that covered half of her face. The blisters were still there. She started rubbing them desperately. Dry scurfs trickled down and under them new skin, healthy, fresh skin appeared. "Oh, good, _thanks!_" She said, watching herself in a hand mirror.

"Okay then, mhm, I´d like the two galleons from the DA back from you. Do you have them with you?" He really did not want them to know anything about the DA, not even about their meetings.

"Oh, I´m sorry, I got rid of mine during the summer. I didn´t want to keep anything that reminded me of that group, and of the curse…"

Cho stammered a bit. " I don´t think I have mine with me…" "Yes, you have. I saw you putting it in your bag this morning. Just have a look."

Cho opened her bag reluctantly and found the galleon lying on top of her books just like Marietta had said. She handed it to Harry and he excused himself to go to breakfast. Marietta was admiring herself in her mirror but Cho seemed rather miffed, as if the meeting hadn´t went the way she would have liked.

########################################################################

The first lesson of the day was Defence and Harry remembered with a jolt Rookwood and his resolve to inform Snape about their talk. He needed to do it inconspicuous with Malfoy in the same class.

"Today we will practise a banishing charm. Pair up with a partner and try not to show too much of your incompetence –try not to blast them into the walls. Potter, you partner Longbottom, I don´t think there will be much difference when you hit your head a few times against the wall."

Neville´s hands trembled after that and his wide eyes already apologised to Harry for what harm he might do him. Harry mentally cursed Snape. Neville had done so well in the DA. All he needed was some confidence but Snape seemed to crush every little bit Neville possessed. Sure enough Harry had slammed against the wall for at least half a dozen times till the end of the lesson and his mouth hurt from his forced smile as he tried to reassure Neville that he was okay. _Damn Snape! Should leave him to deal with Rookwood on his own!_

His bag ripped open as he angrily stuffed his book in too hard and his things spilled on the floor. He quickly glanced around. Half the class had already left, Ron and Hermione were waiting at the door and Neville stood next to him. "Go on, or you´ll be late for Charms! Tell Flitwick I´ll be there in a minute!" Slowly stuffing his things back in the bag he waited till only Snape was left in the classroom.

"Hurry up, Potter, and get out! I don´t place much value on your presence."

_Likewise!_ Harry thought, stomped over to the door, closed it and placed a silencing charm on it. He had read about that charm after the order had used it during all their meetings last year.

Snape raised an eyebrow. "Potter, do you understand common English? What part of get out´ didn´t you understand?"

Harry swallowed an angry retort and took a deep breath. "I need to talk to you. Rookwood, the liaison officer, he asked me about you last week, and about Occlumency lessons. He has asked others, too, I think, -I overheard him talking to Malfoy."

He had rushed this out quickly but had to stop there. Snape´s face had gone white, his nostrils flared and his fingers convulsed as if strangling someone. He looked uglier than ever. Making a fast step forward Snape towered over Harry and hissed: "_Potter, you imbecile! What have you done? You stupid, brainless idiot!_ _What did you tell him? What?_" Spit hit Harry in the face as he stumbled back from the teacher´s fury, though he thought he saw flashes of fear in the dark eyes.

Finally loosing his own temper Harry yelled back: "_I told him that you´re an unfair bastard who always favours Slytherin and that you hate me because you hold some petty old grudge against my father! I told him that you did only give me remedial potions because Dumbledore insisted on it and that you threw me out as soon as you could and claimed I was too lazy!_ I just thought I´d tell you in case he asks you, too."

Snape stood motionless staring at Harry, his mouth half open. Horrified Harry suddenly remembered who he was yelling at. Grabbing his bag he turned and fled the room before Snape could pull himself together enough to blast him through a wall.

Of course Harry arrived late for Charms but luckily Flitwick just waved him over to a free place next to Neville. "As we´re finished reviewing we´ll start with something new today. In NEWT level Charms we will now focus on more complex spells, for example charms that need more than one person to cast them, or need to be performed on a special time and place, or are different for different persons. These complex charms are often called rituals or chants. Who can tell me why they are so difficult? Miss Granger?"

"Chants and rituals need to be done very carefully because every slight change in them can have huge unforeseen consequences. Thinking of the wrong things during the time, forgetting one word in the whole ritual, sometimes even wearing the wrong clothes can render the chant useless. And of course you need enough power to perform it in the first place, and in case more persons are needed there must be a fine balance between them."

"Very good, Miss Granger, five points to Gryffindor. Yes, details are very important in rituals, and the balance. Now most chants used today are Anti-Apparition wards, and rituals used for protection. Otherwise they are not very common any more because most wizards and witches prefer some simpler spells that achieve similar results but are of course not as powerful. It´s also often a problem to get together a sufficiently balanced group of casters. In former times for example rituals for influencing the weather were widely used."

For the rest of the lesson they wrote down a rather simple chant for protection. It needed to be cast by at least three wizards together to shield everything inside their triangle, more wizards could form a circle. The drawback was that the incantation had to be repeated constantly for the shield to remain. Harry thought that it wasn´t that useful since a _"Protegro"_ could do nearly the same without the disadvantages.

########################################################################

Care of Magical Creatures that afternoon brought an unexpected yet familiar sight for Harry. "Ah, good y´er all here. I´ve got somethin´ special fer you today! Found him near my hut this mornin´, knocked out cold. Don´ know what happened ter him." At Hagrids feet lay the green, huge creature from last night in the forest, now tightly bound with a collar around his neck and a muzzle. Nevertheless it growled and scratched the ground wildly like an attacking bull.

"It´s a Cusith. They hunt at nigh´, mostly fer woman an´ girls, ter feed their young ones. Luck´ly they´re easy ter fight fer a wizard or a witch, a stunning spell´s enough. This here ´s a ´specially beautiful one, wonder if I can keep him. Migh´ be good company in the forest -not like Fang the coward- once I´ve trained him up a bit. "

After a lesson about the characteristics and habits of Cusiths, and how to (try to) tame them, Harry, Hermione and Ron stayed back to talk with Hagrid.

"How are yer? Haven´t seen much of ye´ this year."

"We´ve been really busy with NEWT classes, loads of homework, and I´ve been made Quidditch captain!"

"Yeah, heard that from McGonagall, congratulations Ron, I´ll come an´watch yer first game. An´ how was yer summer?"

For some reason Ron and Hermione stayed quiet and waited for Harry to answer that question. "It was okay. I´m glad to be back though."

"Yeah, Harry, guess ye´d be. With only thos´ Muggles, an´ Sirius dead –"

Harry knew the half giant only meant well but Sirius was still a sore spot. "Yes, Hagrid, but it´s over now, I´m back at Hogwarts, it´s okay."

"Nah, of course it isn´t okay, not yet, but life has ter go on an´ we´ll have ter live an´ deal with it. C´est la vie."

"C´est –what?!"

Hagrid blushed. "Uh, yer see, I´ve been stayin´ some time durin´ the summer with Olympe –Madame Maxime – learnt som´ French. Hrm, uh, think ye´ should head in now or ye´ll miss dinner… See ya soon!"

"Hagrid learning French! Well, maybe _Olympe_ teaches him how to cook next, would be far more beneficial." Ron remarked on their way to the Great Hall.

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On Tuesday in Herbology Harry found out something more about the night in the forest. He was working together with Neville who already knew everything they would be learning about their plant and showed Harry how to handle it correctly. At a table near them two Slytherins were working whose names Harry didn´t know. The Whipping Wallflower they were repotting suddenly lashed out and hit one of the students who dropped the pot. "Mr Cole! Please be more careful with your Wallflower! They need a gentle hand and a little encouragement to overcome their shyness, otherwise they will whip you."

Harry turned around at the name and looked up the Slytherin. Not very tall, brown hair, quiet. Harry could not remember ever speaking to him, or even remember noticing him before. He didn´t look in any way special, or the type to venture in the Forbidden Forest at night, or to go and rescue girls from hunting Cusiths, and Harry wondered if he maybe had misread the map, or if there were more Coles at Hogwarts.

He kept watching out for the Slytherin after that Herbology lesson but as Cole wasn´t in any of Harry´s other classes he hadn´t much chance to spot him besides meals. During meals at the Slytherin table Cole stayed mostly in the background, without attracting attention. He seemed one of those people you never noticed, never missed when they were not there, never remembered. Why had Cole done what he had done? And what exactly had he been doing –had he followed the girl from their common room or just been out like Harry? And was this a once in a lifetime thing or something more frequent?

Just as he had come so far with his musings Malfoy entered the Great Hall and after briefly looking over the Slytherin table stepped up to Cole and sat down beside him, starting a quiet conversation.

########################################################################

The next day in the afternoon Harry went to the library again. Tonight they would hold their second DA meeting. He wanted to get some more books on defence and look if there was anything about how to discern if someone was trustworthy.

"Hi Luna! Mind if I sit down here, too?" Harry placed the books he had found on the table she was sitting at.

"No, I don´t. I´m thinking about my strengths and what I´d like to research."

Harry had a sudden image of her wanting to research and recruit Snorkacks to fight against Voldemort but couldn´t think of a way to tactfully broach the subject.

"Er, yes, I need to look up some things for the DA." Looking around if anyone was near enough to hear them he noticed the girl from the forest sitting in a corner. He had not found out much more about what had happened that night, except that the girl always kept to herself in Potions and often sat with the two smaller girls in the Great Hall. Maybe Luna knew something about her? One outsider about another? She seemed to know a lot more than she let on –he gulped as he remembered their conversation about her roommates and their lists.

"Luna, do you know something about the girl over there in the corner?"

"That´s Daphne Greengrass. She´s in your year. She´s here often until late at night. I think her roommates don´t like her much either. She´s good in Transfiguration and likes History of Magic, and she plays violin and has chess pieces that don´t move. She doesn´t think much of Quidditch and she´s often with David Zimmer from my year and some younger students."

"Wow, how do you know all that? And why don´t her roommates like her?"

"That I don´t understand. The reasons for human behaviour are always so complex and muddled. I don´t really understand them."

Harry stared at his books without seeing anything. There was something – "Wait a moment. What do you mean, chess pieces that don´t move?"

"They just don´t move. They simply stand there, and they don´t talk either."

"Like a Muggle chess set? But why – does that mean she is Muggleborn?"

"Yes, she is."

"Why didn´t you say that in the beginning?"

"For me it´s not important if someone is Muggleborn or pureblood. Don´t you think so?"

"I –yes, but here it´s important. A Muggleborn in Slytherin? No surprise she doesn´t get along too well with her roommates. Hm, and that would explain why… - Do you know if the other students with her are Muggleborns too?"

"David is. The others too, I think. At least they don´t get along with their housemates, too."

"And how _did _you learn all that? Did she tell you?"

"No, I don´t think I ever talked to her. But I hear a lot, people tend to forget that I´m there. And I find other people fascinating."

Try as he might Harry couldn´t concentrate on his books as he sat in the library. His mind kept wandering back to what Luna had told him –and to Luna and her strange ways.

########################################################################

The DA meeting that evening was very productive. Most students had thought of something they´d like to research but some seemed really enthusiastic about it and resolved to put in lots of effort. For example Anthony Goldstein wanted to cover the whole field of Transfiguration and how to use it in a duel. Padma Patil and Ernie Macmillan both went for Charms and Terry Boot said he´d look up everything he could on security measures. Susan Bones had gotten some material from her Aunt at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement about how they dealt with Death Eaters and other criminals. Zacharias Smith, surprisingly, had already put some effort in researching useful curses. Ron wanted to concentrate on duelling techniques and battle tactics and Hermione wanted to overlook the whole research and teaching and organise it. But it was Neville that made a suggestion even Harry hadn´t thought of.

"Learning curses and defence is all very well but I think we also should do some healing. Imagine how much better it could have went last year at the Ministry if we had known just some simple spells, like bracing an ankle or stop bleeding wounds. I´d like to research healing spells and potions. –I know, I know, -I didn´t say _I _would _brew_ them! Just find out what Madam Pomfrey uses."

Hermione made a plan of what everyone was researching and when they would like to teach it to the rest of the students. They voted that Harry should look over all the new material first so he could help teaching.

"Hrm, I made a new parchment. I´d like you all to sign it again." Hermione said. "It is a binding magical contract against treachery. That you won´t betray us, that you won´t tell anyone things you shouldn´t –no talking about what we do, who´s in the DA, when and where our meetings are… unless the leader of the DA, Harry, is informed about it. That´s just in case we want to recruit a new member, so you can talk to them if Harry allows it.

I also charmed the paper so no one besides us can read it, in case it falls into the wrong hands like last year with Umbridge."

"What will happen if someone breaks the contract?"

"You don´t want to know that. You´ve seen what happened to Marietta. She´s now rid of it. Be assured that this time it won´t be that easy to undo, or that harmless."

Many DA members eyed her warily but all signed. Harry looked the list over. With him they were exactly 20 members, mostly sixth years, most from Gryffindor. Dennis Creevey was the only third year and the youngest member.

"I´ve been thinking about another thing. Could we do something to seal the Room of Requirement while we´re in it? So we won´t be surprised like with the Inquisitorial Squad last year…" Terry said.

"Good idea," Harry mused. "Could you look up on that too? And if anyone else has an idea about security measures, please talk to Terry about it."

After all those things were cleared up Harry started reviewing on what they had done the last year as it had been a while since their last meeting. Most of the members could do the common spells without problems but their practise duels were slow and rusty. Also on the Patronus Charm they would need to practise more. Hermione and three or four others were the only ones that could do the spell correctly on every try, most others managed to produce only some mist. And Harry knew doing it in front of a real Dementor was far more difficult. He would have to think about that –maybe he could find some Boggart and somehow make it stay in his form for the DA to practise?

Finally he called the meeting to an end and send the members to their common rooms. Luna stopped shortly by his side and told him, beaming: "I´ve found out what my strength is: being different." Harry watched her walk out, humming to herself, with an odd feeling in his stomach.

########################################################################

At first everything was just as usual on Thursday evening in the common room. Harry worked on a Transfiguration assignment and wished he had more time because he also had homework in nearly all his other classes and hadn´t done much for Occlumency lately. Ron kept trying to sneak a look at Hermione´s parchment and put up his most innocent face whenever she caught him. Neville was writing on an History essay about _The Uprising of Several Wizarding Communities during the early Middle Ages across the European Continent that led to the Building of the First True States of Wizardkind_ with the tip of his tongue between his lips, absentmindedly biting off a chocolate frog from time to time. The first years near them whispered excitedly about Weasley´s Wizard Wheezes and put their heads together over some suspicious looking package.

"Aaaarg!" In a burst of feathers a yellow canary appeared at a table in the corner. The first years broke down laughing while most of the older students settled down quickly again after identifying the work of a Weasley´ joke. The canary screeched and flapped his wings helplessly and tumbled down on the floor. After a few more seconds Harry saw it turn back into a crying, panicked Paul Wheeler.

"Is little Paulie crying again, hm? Seems he´s scared again, I really don´t know how he got into Gryffindor. Does he want to go home to his Mommy? Ooh, maybe he´s just disappointed that he couldn´t fly –maybe I can help him with that…" And the first year pulled out his wand and pointed it at Paul while his classmates watched eagerly. _"Wingardium Leviosa"_

The spell worked but rather shakily. Paul was hovering in the air, occasionally bobbing up and down, his face smeared with tears and snot. Some first years laughed, some were clapping.

_"Who wants to see me take off Snivelly´s pants?"_

Harry had reacted before he realised it. "That´s enough! Put him down!"

The first years were startled and looked at him a little frightened. The one with the wand let Paul down, who sniffed and furiously swept his tears away. "I don´t need your help! I can manage on my own!" And fled up the stairs to his dormitory.

"He deserves it! He always thinks he´s better than everyone else." The ringleader of the first years seemed a bit scared at talking to an older student like this but tried to look sure of himself.

"This is no way to treat one of your dormmates no matter if you think he deserves it. If you have any problems with him than you can speak with a teacher or a prefect. I must say that I´m ashamed Gryffindors would behave like this towards a fellow student of your own house." Hermione had rushed to Harry´s side and fixed the first years with a stare worthy of Professor McGonagall.

The first years embarrassed shuffled back and returned to their homework as did the rest of the Gryffindors who had watched the scene. When the conversations slowly picked up again Harry muttered: "What about a student of another house?"

"Sorry, what did you say, Harry?"

"I think I´m heading to bed too, I can´t concentrate on homework any longer. Good Night."

In the thankfully empty dormitory he tried to get the image of Paul and Snape out of his head, hanging in the air, blending together, turning into each other.

He didn´t understand why –he hadn´t even told Paul about him being Dudley´s cousin, and for all he knew Sandra might have come to her senses by now and already have broken up with Dudley- but somehow he felt responsible for the small first year.

# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #

A stone room with some old furniture swam into focus. It looked damp and as if it hadn´t been used for a long time. Two figures were in it, and a snake.

"I hope your visit was more successful than last time. Do you have the information I wanted?" The voice was sharp and made one shiver. The man it belonged to –if he still could be called a man- looked down at the servant at his feet.

"Master, there is a breach of security somewhere. He is trying to find out what exactly it is, and how we can use it to our advantage. He just needs some more time he said…"

"Time! So there _might_ be some breach of security but you don´t know what it could be or if we can use it?! It´s been nearly four weeks now. I´m not pleased by this."

"Please, master, I did as you told me, I did exactly as you told me… It´s not my fault, master…"

"Oh, Pettigrew, always quick to put the blame on someone else, aren´t you? -Stop whining, it´s disgusting. -I need this information, and I want it soon! I have let you incompetent fools spoil my plans too often. -Do you have anything useful to say or are you going to keep on whimpering?"

"Please, master, I just wondered… why don´t we focus on the boy anymore? Why don´t we try and kill him first anymore?" The kneeling man at once knew he had made a mistake.

"_Do you dare to question my plans?_ Do you think _that boy_ is even important enough to deserve our attention? We will turn over the wizarding world, the Ministry, Hogwarts…, and instate our rightful order and then, in the end, if _Potter_ dares to show his face I will deal with him like he deserves." The tall wizard spit the words out, his tone one of utter loathing, and his servant cowered waiting for the inevitable curse.

But none came. "What about the other matter I told you to investigate?"

"He –he´s not sure either… everything seems to point to loyalty, but he´s not sure… says he´s got a bad feeling…"

"So, you´ve got nothing to tell me for sure, only some more _speculations and guesswork. _I´m really _most_ displeased with you both."

"Master, please, I-" There was no telling how his master would take to a suggestion. "I- I th- thought about the security again. I- I think Lucius Malfoy might know about it. He´s been a governor, he knows lots of things, and he still has lots of contacts…"

"Malfoy. Hmm, maybe I will give him another chance, once Azkaban has fallen and my faithful Death Eaters have joined me again. Yes, if he can provide me with this information I might forgive him his failure last year. Perhaps your pitiful live isn´t totally worthless, Pettigrew."

"Thank you, master, thank you. I live to serve you." Pettigrew began crawling back to leave.

"But I do _not_ like you trying to divert my attention from _your_ shortcomings. We were discussing your failure to bring me any valuable information. _Never_ think you can hoodwink me. You cannot fool Lord Voldemort, rat!"

"I -I didn´t –didn´t want..."

"_Crucio_" 

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Harry gasped as white hot pain burned trough his scar, blinding him. He bit his lip to keep himself from screaming out. Slowly the pain receded and left him slightly shaking and feeling weak. The other Gryffindor sixth years kept on snoring around him. Apparently he hadn´t screamed during his dream and woken them up. His dream…-he tried to remember the details but felt them fading. He should tell Dumbledore about it –and he´d better do it now before he forgot most of it.

Only after sneaking out of the dormitory, all the way to Dumbledore´s office, past the gargoyles and up the stairs did he ask himself if this was truly the right time for a visit. Dumbledore wasn´t in his office. It seemed almost surreal, Dumbledore always had been here. His absence made the whole room seem strange and unfamiliar. Harry looked at his watch for the first time since he woke up and realised it was just past five in the morning. Apparently even the headmaster needed to sleep sometimes.

He didn´t know what to do –should he leave and return in the morning? Try to find Dumbledore? But he had no idea where his personal quarters might be. Wait here? It wasn´t that long until breakfast.

Harry smiled as he saw a new package of lemon drops on the desk. Next to it lay a book with the title _Contego Chants – The most effective protection measures of the last two thousand years_. He leafed through the first pages – the Cornish Countercurse, the Rebounders´ Rite, the Brockenheim Chant...

Sitting at last into one of the armchairs he watched Fawkes sleep with his head tucked under his wings and the portraits snoring in their frames. There was an eerie, peaceful calmness in the half dark room and his breathing evened out and his eyes closed without him realising it.

**_

* * *

_**

**_A.N_**_.: I´m not very satisfied with that chapter –too much bits and pieces. It´s also the shortest so far. But I hope it answers at least some questions from last chapter... though not too much... -Need to keep the suspense up after all. _

_Expect another chapter next week, with a bit more info about both Cole and the Chant, and then I have to take a break, need to learn for my exams. _

_I also have a question about the rating system here at ff.net, maybe you can help me with that: The Chant is rated PG-13 at the moment but I´m really not sure about this. Is it too high? Too low? Just right? There will be some harder stuff in future chapters but I´ll keep it at about the level of the books. So, how would you rate OotP or GoF? _

_Thanks for your opinion and till next time_


	7. Of Plans and Goals

**Chapter 7: Of Plans and Goals**

"Harry, you have to wake up now. It´s nearly time for breakfast."

Harry blinked disorientated. His neck and shoulders felt stiff from sleeping in an awkward position and he didn´t recognise his surroundings at first. "Professor! I-" he felt himself blush, "I was waiting for you. I had a dream last night… must´ve fallen asleep…"

"No problem there, my dear boy, I dare say Fawkes enjoyed the company –and the comfortable seat…"

Harry realised the phoenix must have settled down on his lap during the last hour and was sleeping peacefully there.

"So you had a dream again?"

"Yeah, it was in a dusty old room, Voldemort and Wormtail were talking. Wormtail brought some information but Voldemort didn´t like it, said it wasn´t valuable, only speculations. It was something about security, a breach of security somewhere. And he –Voldemort –said they wouldn´t go after me for the moment, they would take over the wizarding world first, and at last he´d kill me." Fawkes shifted on his lap a bit before ruffling his feathers and settling down again. The comforting weight sent a wave of warmth through Harry´s body.

"Oh –Malfoy might know about that security thing. -Voldemort said he´d welcome him back if he had the information, after freeing Azkaban."

The headmaster sighed. "Yes, I think it makes sense."

"What makes sense? Do you know what he is planning? What will he do?"

Dumbledore considered Harry for a moment, then apparently decided to answer. "I don´t _know_ what he´ll do. But I know what happened last time.

You must understand that Tom believes in what he preaches, in what he does. He is utterly convinced of his loathing and persecuting of Muggleborns, convinced that the new order he wants for the wizarding world is just and right and will make it _better_. Tom wants to _save_ the wizarding world, from Muggleborns, Muggles, Muggle-lovers… and you and I and everyone who stands in his way are not only a threat to him but to wizardkind and therefore must be eliminated.

These strong beliefs make him so persuasive, gained him so many followers… Of course it helped that in a lot of the old families there have been prejudices against Muggles for a very long time, they were regarded as inferior and at the same time suspiciously watched as they invented things most wizards did not understand. The Muggles suddenly seemed to become stronger with the science and technology they developed, and wizards became worried…

Tom played these fears well, in a time of insecurity he offered straight views, a clear position and a simple concept for the rebuilding of the wizarding world.

He knows what he wants to achieve in the long run –and for that he needs power, he needs to overthrow the established institutions, that resist him, the Ministry, Hogwarts, Azkaban, St Mungo´s, maybe Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley as symbols of our way of living, and a few others."

"But –but this is so _sick_ …"

"Yes, for us it is. But no fight is harder to win than the fight against a prejudice."

"And about my dream –you think Voldemort is trying to find out about the security in those places you mentioned? To attack? And free the prisoners… But can´t we stop him? Can´t you do something?"

"Harry, I am powerful and I think Tom still fears me but I can only do so much. The order is working hard and we have recruited new members last year, we are prepared for a war –but we are still only a few wizards. We can do intelligence work, we can spy and sabotage some of Tom´s plans, we give information to wherever it might be of help –but we´re no army. We won´t be able to stop a large attack, or several attacks in different places.

The Ministry is not ready for a war. Fudge wasted a year of preparation –they don´t have enough Aurors, they didn´t take any new ones in the last three years, and of those they have most are too old. There are some like Alastor who still know their stuff –but even their best days are long since past. The last war was theirs –but who will fight this time?

And the public hasn´t yet recovered from Tom´s last rise, people are tired of war, scared, and want to go and hide till it is over rather than fight."

They sat in silence, time stretched out, each indulged in his own thoughts. "Yes, till it is over… And I´m the one who has to end it –but what if I can´t?" Harry whispered.

"I have full confidence in you, my boy." Dumbledore gave him a small smile. "And despite what I said you won´t be alone. There are people out there willing to help.

You have your friends –and though I´d rather keep my students safe I fear they too will have to play their part. I will be there for you and help you in every way I can. And there are many, many others out there, Remus, the Weasleys, many in the order, in the Ministry and just normal people who will do everything that lies within their power. I fear the dark times that will come, but I believe in the end we will win this war - we have to.

And for what it´s worth –I think Tom won´t attack Hogwarts, not yet, I think your dream might have been about the Ministry. We –the order- have received some information lately that he will concentrate on that for now rather than coming for you again."

"I just wish I could do something… I wish it was over… But how can I end it? I don´t know what that power of the prophecy is, or how to use it. I don´t know if I can kill… What if I don´t have that power?"

Dumbledore´s eyes were bright and his smile shone. "Oh, you have, Harry, you have that power in abundance."

"Then what is it? You said it was in the Ministry, in that locked room, and that it saved me when Voldemort possessed me – I thought of Sirius then, that I wanted to see him again… You said it was my heart –that power, is it _feeling_, emotion… love?"

Harry choked on the last word, remembering the time in the Ministry, those desperate seconds when he felt Voldemort inside him, wanting to join Sirius in death. Dumbledore only smiled.

"But how can that be of any use in killing Voldemort?! How? Love… it´s no weapon, or something, -nothing that helps you in a fight!"

"You know, the power of love is by far greater than the love of power… And I believe I told you also that it is perhaps the greatest mystery of all. I don´t know how you can vanquish Tom with that power, that is for you to find out. I have no doubt that you will. –And maybe we should continue that discussion another time, you might just grab a toast before your first lesson if you hurry down the Great Hall now."

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The day carried on with Harry barely paying attention to any of his classes and nightfall found him sitting on top of south tower. He had lately taken to come up here in the evenings to get some peace and quiet and sort out his thoughts. With only the sky above him and the wind rushing around the tower it felt almost as good as flying and never failed to calm him. Closing his eyes and practising Occlumency, sifting through his swirling thoughts, he could understand what Dumbledore had meant once when he talked about having too much thoughts crammed into your head.

His dream and Dumbledore´s explanations were only the latest in a line of worries that weighed on his mind. He hadn´t paid as much attention to his friends in the last days as he should, puzzling too much over Rookwood, Cole and Daphne, the prophecy, even Paul Wheeler. And now that Dumbledore had mentioned it –there were other people outside Hogwarts that cared about him. Particularly Remus, whose calm and understanding had helped so much during the time at Grimmauld place, how was he? How did he cope with the death of his best friend? Maybe he was just now out there somewhere risking his life on an order mission… Harry resolved in writing him a letter as soon as possible.

"Where have you been? We were starting to worry." "Yeah, you were a bit weird the whole day, mate."

"Just needed some time alone, had a lot on my mind. Listen, can we move a bit to the corner over there, I need to tell you something. I had another of those _dreams_, you know, last night."

"But shouldn´t Occlumency block them? You _are_ practising, aren´t you?" Hermione whispered while they went over to some chairs as Harry had suggested.

"Hey, Harry, look! I´ve just been at the hospital wing and asked Madam Pomfrey about healing spells and potions. Told her I might want to become a healer or something, and she gave me this –it´s a book of exercises for healer apprentices! –Oh, er, do you three want to be alone? I´ll come back later…"

"No, that´s ok, Neville, sit down. I just wanted to tell them about the dream or vision or whatever I had last night, from Voldemort. I don´t mind you hearing it, just don´t want the whole common room to know –I don´t need them all to think I´m mental, again."

While Harry recounted his dream again and gave them a short version of what Dumbledore had said his friends listened with growing anxiety.

"Wormtail! That filthy traitor!" Ron spat as soon as Harry finished. Hermione frowned and muttered thoughtfully: "That sounded as if Pettigrew was only the messenger between V-Voldemort –oh, get used to it! –and a spy somewhere… You know, that 'breach of security' –it sound´s a lot like the hole in the wards of Hogwarts we talked about. I don´t know if Dumbledore´s opinion that he won´t attack the school yet is right…"

"But that would mean there is a spy in Hogwarts." Neville sounded worried.

"Bet it´s Snape! I bet he never truly changed sides and now he´s lulling Dumbledore into safety while feeding his real master with information about the wards!"

"Snape is a Death Eater?!"

"Oh, Ron, how often did you suspect Snape and it was never true? Neville, well, I guess we have to tell you now. Those wizards that came last year with Dumbledore to save us –they are the Order of the Phoenix, they are a group that fights Voldemort, and Snape is a spy for them on Voldemort. This is supposed to be a secret-" she gave Ron a stern look "-so keep quiet about it. And before accusing Snape again –it could as well be Rookwood, or some student like Malfoy who talked about the Sorting Hat´s song!"

"Rookwood?!" Neville seemed too shocked by the previous news to say much more than the Liaison Officer´s name. So Hermione explained what she had found out about Algernon Rookwood from the Daily Prophet, while Neville stared at her, obviously unbelieving how much things went on at Hogwarts without him knowing anything.

"So you think they talked about Hogwarts?" Harry felt the uneasiness from last night return, he had had a very bad feeling when he woke up and thought he might have forgotten something important.

The uncomfortable silence was broken by Hermione: "It sound´s like that to me, but if Dumbledore thinks not…"

"But he didn´t know for sure either, did he, Harry?" Harry shook his head at Neville.

"Then what shall we do now?" Ron asked. "Can we do something?"

"Maybe we can talk about it in the DA… we agreed to protect Hogwarts…"

But Harry shook his head again. "No, Hermione, I don´t want the DA involved in this, at least not yet. We don´t have any proof, I don´t want to scare them for nothing and I don´t want to cause a panic in the school –not after Dumbledore has told me he doesn´t think Hogwarts is in danger."

"But then what? I mean we can train the DA nevertheless, without telling them of our suspicions, so they will be ready just in case –but will that be enough?"

"I think we should find out what this breach in security is, or the hole in the wards, and see if we can´t fix it somehow."

Ron stared at her. "Hermione, it was something the _founders _couldn´t do! They were the greatest wizards in the last thousand years! How do you expect _us_ to do something _they _couldn´t?"

"I don´t know if we can! But I think we should try and find out, maybe Dumbledore can do something then, I don´t know…"

"Don´t you think he would already know about it? Being the headmaster? And have done something if he could?"

"No," Harry said, "I overheard McGonagall saying that no one knows exactly what the wards are. And we don´t know why the founders couldn´t do it –perhaps it wasn´t because it was too difficult but because they didn´t have enough time or something. We won´t know before we´ve found out what it is."

"Where do we start then?" Neville asked with a look at Harry that clearly showed he expected him to have the answer already thought out.

"In the library of course!" Hermione answered instead and Ron rolled his eyes. "We´ll look if there´s anything about the Founding of Hogwarts and then go on from there."

"We could also ask Professor Binns, Hermione. You remember second year when he told us about the Chamber of Secrets?" Neville said, "Even if he thinks it is just a myth it might help us."

"Good idea, Neville," Ron answered, "and whatever he tells you, it has to be more interesting than the forty-eleventh Goblin uprising or the tale of Uric the Oddball meeting a Flobberworm."

It turned out that Hermione and –surprisingly- Neville did most of the work. With Occlumency –that came along well according to Dumbledore though he still had not once used the curse against Harry – DA meetings and learning everything the members wanted to teach, his normal schoolwork and Quidditch practise on top of everything else Harry didn´t have much time for researching the Founding of Hogwarts.

Ron had become absolutely obsessed with Quidditch, even more than Oliver –Harry wondered if this was part of the captaincy, after all Angelina had also been a sensible girl _before_ she became captain – and held practises at least three times a week and spent another two or three evenings on devising new strategies.

Hermione, who had after all more classes than anyone else, had to stop translating the Black-books which put her in a bad mood ("Just when I finally thought I would be getting somewhere! I almost had the first page of the introduction translated!") but she was as always intrigued by the puzzle (and the library) and determined to find answers.

Neville seemed proud that Harry had confided in him as well and apparently wanted to prove to the others that he deserved their trust. And while Hermione worked faster through the stacks of books no one worked more persistently and thoroughly than him.

Their library search hadn´t brought much success so far but of course their were still hundreds of dusty old books that didn´t look as if they had been touched in centuries. But about a week later Hermione and Neville came excitedly back from their History of Magic lesson.

"Ron! Harry! We asked Binns about the founders after class, we said we´d like to do some extra credit work. –Well, Hermione said." Neville told them beaming.

"Better you than me, Hermione," Ron threw in.

Hermione shrugged. "He will probably have forgotten it by now anyway." The three others gave her disbelieving stares. "What? I never said he was exactly a model teacher. –Well, he went into a long lecture about how great the founders were, and about their relations to the Goblins at that time –it was actually quite interesting."

Neville continued: "And then we asked a bit more about how they warded the school. He didn´t really tell us much about that, said that each founder put every defensive spell on the castle they could think of and that it isn´t known what exactly they used. We had to push a bit more –we mentioned the Sorting Song and the hole in the wards."

"Binns wasn´t pleased with that –apparently he wasn´t at the Sorting, or he had already forgotten about it- at least he said that we shouldn´t believe in such stories and that the Hat shouldn´t support such unproven tales."

"He admitted that there was a legend of the founders trying to do some complicated spell after they had all done their individual protections, something they had to cast together during a special night. Apparently people said after the division between Gryffindor and Slytherin that their failure to work together on that spell had already foreshadowed their later split up."

"When we asked more about what that spell was he got very curt and told us it was all a myth and totally unverified and floated away through the board."

Harry rubbed his temples. "At least Binns confirmed that there _is_ something with the wards."

"Yeah, if Binns thinks it´s a myth it´s bound to be true." Ron sighed. "But I guess that means we´re back to the library to find out about spells to cast by four people on a special night."

########################################################################

So the research went on. On the other hand Harry spent some time each evening just before he went to sleep watching the Marauders Map for Graham Cole. But the Slytherin didn´t do anything special, at least he wasn´t in any place he shouldn´t be. Only after their next DA meeting –Padma and Ernie had held a very good lesson about Disabling Charms with barely needing Harry´s help in teaching them –did he see something suspicious.

Harry was letting the members go in small groups and while he watched the map he spotted "Graham Cole" on the first floor. Harry wanted nothing more than go and have a look what Cole was doing but it wasn´t so easy.

"Oh, could I have a minute, Harry? I´m not sure if I really understood that spell correctly." Parvati stood very close to him, smiling up and batting her eyelashes.

Hermione stifled a snort and shook her head before grabbing Neville´s and Ron´s arms and with a "We´ll see you in the common room then." dragged both boys out.

"Parvati, I –maybe we can meet some other evening, I don´t have time right now, I- I forgot to send an owl…"

"You want to meet me another evening?" Parvati giggled, "Sure, whenever you like." And with a last wink she went out the door, too. Harry had the bad feeling that she had interpreted his answer completely different than he had meant it.

Shaking his head he cautiously stepped out of the room and had another look at the map. Cole was still on the first floor. Quickly and quietly making his way down Harry stopped on the second floor. He did not have his cloak with him this time. Whispering the spell he felt the Disillusioning slide down his body like a raw egg.

Sneaking further down he saw on his map an obviously also disillusioned Cole standing in front of the Vanishing Cabinet, where the twins had pushed in Montague last year, and heard him muttering: "Damn, open up already! How does it open…"

Harry did not know what to do. What was Cole up to? Should he just wait here and see? But he had watched the last time and not understood what was going on…

"What are you doing?"

Cole turned around fast, his wand raised. "Who are you? Where are you?"

Harry hesitated –but it couldn´t really hurt, so he answered. "Harry Potter. And what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"I came to look what you were doing."

"How would you know I was here? And I wasn´t doing anything."

"You tried to open that cabinet. Tell me why and I might help you."

"I wasn´t doing anything here. Why should I? I think I´m better going now." The Slytherin´s voice now held definitely some unease. Harry wished he could see his face instead of just the blurry outlines when he moved.

"Look, I know you tried to open it, I heard you! And I saw you when you went out into the forest and helped those girls!"

"You didn´t! You can´t have. –I never was in the forest, you must have mistaken me for someone else."

"I know it was you, you´re Graham Cole, from Slytherin, and you stunned that Cusith and then you hid from Filch on the first floor. I made the noise on the second floor to get Filch away from you."

"It –anyway, it´s none of your business!"

Harry had a sudden inspiration. "Are you trying to help them again? Is one of the girls in there?"

"I –really, why don´t you just leave me alone. I´m helping no one!" But Harry felt his idea had not been far from the truth.

"Have you tried _Alohomora_?"

"What do you think I am? A first year? It doesn´t work."

Harry thought back to a conversation he had had with Terry about closing off the Room of Requirement during DA meetings and the advanced opening spells the Ravenclaw had mentioned. "_Effregio_!"

It had the desired effect. The door of the cabinet sprang open and something –someone in a bundle of robes fell out. Sitting up the boy swayed rather dizzily back and forth with his eyes crossed. Harry didn´t know how exactly the Vanishing Cabinet worked but last year Montague had disappeared in it and apparently only reappeared after someone had opened the door of the cabinet again. From what he had heard from the rumours anything inside the cabinet ceased to exist until it was pulled out again –which might explain the disorientated state of the boy now sitting in front of him.

"Er, what now? D´you know who he is?"

The Slytherin was silent for a moment then answered reluctantly: "His name is Peter Doves. He´s from my house."

"And how did he end up in there? What shall we do with him now?"

"I guess we have to take him to the hospital wing. He doesn´t seem alright."

"Yeah, guess you´re right. But what do we tell Madam Pomfrey? We´re out after curfew and _I_, at least, have no idea how to explain what happened to him."

"Then we won´t stay around long enough for her to question us. He hasn´t seen us since we´re both disillusioned and he´s in no state to answer anything anyway." Cole said gruffly.

Harry didn´t like it too much but couldn´t think of any other solution which wouldn´t get them into trouble so he silently dragged the boy to his feet together with the Slytherin. Their journey to the hospital wing was long and exhausting because the younger boy wouldn´t walk straight but instead stopped and turned every few steps and made some odd blubbering noises from time to time. Harry expected Filch to swoop down on them from behind every corner and was more than once tempted to just stun their charge in exasperation because of a new sudden change of direction. Cole apparently had as well enough to do with pulling his housemate along for he did not say a single word during their trip.

"Let´s sit him down here." Cole motioned to the wall next to the entrance of the hospital wing. He then bent down and murmured a few words, at last drawing a circle in the air with his wand.

"What are you doing?"

"No time now, come on, let´s get away from here."

With a last look at Peter Doves, who was now sucking his thump, Harry followed Cole, only hoping that Madam Pomfrey did get some experience with Montague and knew how to cure her new patient.

When they reached an unused area on the third floor far away from the hospital wing Harry spoke again. "So what was that spell you used?" Talking to someone you couldn´t see felt really weird.

"Just an alarm spell. I set the timer for five minutes, then it should make enough noise to get Madam Pomfrey."

"And why? Why was he in that cabinet? –Wait, is he a Muggleborn, too? Did some of your house do this?"

"Why should it interest you, Potter? I said it before, it´s none of your business."

"Maybe because I just dragged him to the hospital wing with you? Because I opened the door of that cabinet?" Harry felt rather angry and irritated by the Slytherin´s refusal to answer by now.

"Nobody asked you to."

"And just what are _you_ up to? Shouldn´t you be with your Slytherin friends stuffing little Mudbloods in Cabinets? Why bother to help some worthless Muggleborns?" Harry spat.

"Like I said none of your business." Cole´s voice was icy cold. "Just keep your belief of the oh so heroic, good Gryffindors and the slimy, evil Slytherins… _But you will not tell anyone about what happened tonight or the other night in the forest_."

"What should prevent me from telling anyone?!"

"Because if you do then I will tell Snape that it was _you_ who stuffed Peter in there –and whom do you think he will believe? The arrogant Potter bullying some little Slytherins, typically Gryffindor, and threatening to hex me if I told anyone about it… Snape will believe my story, trust me, especially after what happened to Montague, -perhaps that was you, too, hm, Potter?… So keep your mouth shut, and none of us will get into trouble."

Harry was stunned speechless as Cole turned around and –judging by the sound of his steps- walked down the stairs into the direction of the Slytherin common room.

When he finally had made his way back to his own common room he still felt like he had been hit by Bludger on the head. He had just _helped_ Cole! And now the Slytherin threatened to snitch on him to Snape for something he hadn´t done in the first place! But he could just imagine Snape´s reaction… He shuddered.

"Centaur´s pride" The portrait swung open.

"Where have you been that long, Harry? Parvati arrived ages ago!" Ron called from his chair at the fire.

"I –oh, I told her I had forgotten to send an owl, and then I couldn´t just walk back here right after her…" He didn´t like to keep secrets from his friends but as he hadn´t told them about his first encounter with Cole it would be difficult to explain anyway.

"Hermione thought she would corner you –I take it you didn´t enjoy it too much when you made up some excuse? Seems you really hit it with the girls this year…" Ron smirked.

"What?" Harry was puzzled, "Which other girls do you mean?"

"Oh, Cho for once…"

"Cho? But we broke up last year, and she´s still angry about that curse on her friend… And I know for sure that I don´t feel that way about her anymore."

"Yeah, guess she´s not the right one for you, mate. Think you could do far better…" Ron´s expression changed suddenly and he frowned at their dormitory. "Well, I think I´m off to bed now. Hermione already went to sleep. You coming, too?"

"No," Harry felt like he needed to order his thoughts first, and with a jolt remembered the letter to Remus he still hadn´t written… "I´ll stay down for a bit longer."

_Dear Remus,_

_How are you? I hope everything is going well at Headquarters. I´m fine here at Hogwarts -_

Harry shook his head. There was no point in writing if he couldn´t write an honest letter. Unwrapping one of the chocolate frogs Ron had left he grabbed a new parchment and started over.

_Dear Remus,_

_maybe you wonder why I´m writing to you but I´ve been thinking a lot lately and I don´t want to make the same mistake again that I made with Sirius. You know, I never told him how much he meant to me, how grateful I was that he was there for me, how I wished I could stay with him… I want to thank you for being there for me over the summer, you don´t know how much it helped to talk with you or when you told some story of the Marauders, of the happy times. You are now the last friend of my parents that is left, well, the last that cares about me, and that I care about. I don´t want to lose you too. I know there is a war coming, and you´re on missions for the order… I know you can´t promise me to stay safe, but please try. I need you. _

_Here at Hogwarts everything´s very busy, I didn´t think it could get worse than fifth year with the OWLs –but I was wrong. The new Liaison Officer is a bit suspicious though, do you know anything about him? His name´s Henry Rookwood. There is another Rookwood who broke out from Azkaban and was at the Ministry that night last year. Do you know if they are related?_

_Say hello to Tonks and Moody and the Weasleys from me, and take care,_

_Harry_

Harry hoped Remus wouldn´t think he was some whimpering little boy but at least he had written the truth about what he felt. He quickly rolled the parchment up to send it in the morning. Eating the last bit of his chocolate frog he routinely checked the card if it was Agrippa, whose card Ron had been looking for ever since first year.

It wasn´t. A mad looking witch with large unseeing eyes, clashing red and orange trousers and a turquoise men´s shirt shook her walking stick at Harry.

He turned the card over and read:

_Ursula Sigefreyding, 719 – 768 AD_

_Disguised as a man Miss Sigefreyding led a band of robbers who raided travellers and traders in the forests of northern Germany. But she became particularly famous for the Protection Charm she used together with her sisters to defend the little village of Brockenheim, where they were born. When her fellow raiders were arrested one day she managed to escape but lost her eyesight due to a misspelled curse. Miss Sigefreyding retired to a reclusive life with only a pet Basilisk, who sadly ate her one day, probably mistaking her for one of the goats she used to feed it._

Turning back to the picture Harry grinned. She did indeed bear some resemblance to a goat.

* * *

_**A.N.:** As I said before I have to take a break after this chapter. I´ll have to write five exams in Economy and Law in the next month and won´t have time for updates. (Believe me, I´d rather write fanfiction than learn about taxes...) My last exam is on the 6th of August, don´t expect anything before, but I promise I will continue as soon as it is over! And hopefully faster during the holidays..._

**_Thanks to all of you who have read so far and put me to your Favourites and on Author Alert, and especially to those who reviewed!_**


	8. The Lion wakes

**Chapter 8: News and Clues**

"No, Padma," Harry called over the noise, "you have to make one swift movement with your wand –don´t hesitate in the middle of the spell!"

Padma sighed in frustration. Michael Corner, her partner for this evening´s practise, grimaced. Her curse had not tied his hands together like it should but instead made the muscles in his arms cramp. For the sixth time in a row.

Zacharias was in charge of the DA lesson today and while Harry found the curses he had chosen really useful and the research very thorough it was clear that the Hufflepuff wasn´t a great teacher. It didn´t help that Ron had made some snide comments under his breath during Zacharias explanation, which sent half of the DA snickering and caused them to miss some crucial parts.

Harry sighed. DA members were hexing each other everywhere. In times like these he wished he had the intimidating presence Snape had. Well, actually maybe not. But it would surely be helpful to keep some order. He only hoped they managed to reverse all the misspelled curses –he really didn´t want to explain to Madam Pomfrey why Dennis Creevey, for example, had his arms merged together.

He made another round through the room. At last it seemed the members were getting a hang on the spell. He watched Ginny bind Dean successfully and Dean scowling as he caught Harry´s eyes. Parvati smiled brightly at him and waved her wand swiftly without looking at Lavender. Harry remembered the last meeting, and was glad he had managed to teach her the spell she said she hadn´t understood _in _the common room instead of some lovely, _lonely_ place like she had apparently hoped. He quickly moved on, seeing from the corner of his eyes that Lavender´s _hair_ tied itself in messy knots.

"OK, everyone, it´s time to stop!" Harry moved over to Zacharias. "Good curses you chose. I know we didn´t get through with all of them but I hope you´ll teach the rest next time." The Hufflepuff nodded once haughtily and was the first to leave. Michael Corner stayed behind when everyone else filtered out. Harry was happy to see Dennis gesturing with his hands separately.

"Can I help you? Do your arms still hurt?"

Michael Corner shook his head. "No, it´s okay. I just –hm, I thought I´ll let you know." He quickly averted his eyes again. "Maybe you´ve heard the rumours last year... About me and Cho dating... after you two had broken up –erm, it´s not really true, well, maybe a bit... -OK, I´ll get to the point. We were dating a bit last year but I think she did it more to get some reaction out of you, maybe to make you jealous, or to show you that she doesn´t need you, or something like that. We weren´t really together and she ignored me completely this year."

Harry didn´t know what to say. He hadn´t spoken with Michael about much beside school and DA business and here the Ravenclaw told him about his love life with Cho. His confusion must have shown on his face because the other boy continued hurriedly.

"The point is you didn´t react to it all and she is not too happy about it. I overheard her saying to one of her friends that she would _make_ you realise that you can´t just drop her like that."

"I didn´t _drop_ her! She was the one who-"

"I know, I know! I think she expected you to come back to her, not to give her up. She doesn´t like it if you don´t pay attention to her. The thing is she sounded really serious about it, and I thought I´d warn you."

On his way to the common room Harry thought about this new insight in the girl he had had a crush on for the past two years. He hadn´t really gotten to know her much. And now she was planning whatever to get him back to fancying her. He snorted. Last year he would have burst with happiness to hear that. He somehow couldn´t bring himself to worry too much about Michael´s warning –what could Cho do to him? Compared to Voldemort an ex-girlfriend, or whatever she was, plotting against you simply wasn´t _that_ scary.

########################################################################

September turned to October and life at Hogwarts settled into it´s usual routine. Quidditch training began heating up for the match against Slytherin in the beginning of November, Snape was his usual unpleasant self during Defence lessons but surprisingly never mentioned Harry´s outburst or gave any indication that it had ever happened and Professor Sanfter kept telling Hermione to be careful and 'Watch the Boy-Who-Lived to learn how to brew a potion correctly'. Harry had given up to tell Sanfter that his potions were only correct because _Hermione_ brewed them, and Hermione left the lessons in an increasingly worse mood.

One Monday finally brought word from Remus. After feeding the grey owl some of his breakfast Harry unrolled the letter.

_Dear Harry,_

_Yes, I was a bit surprised to hear from you but I´m glad you wrote me. I enjoyed our talks over the summer as well and I hope you know that I am here whenever you need someone to talk to. _

_I promise you that I will try and stay safe as good as I can, and please, Harry, try to do the same. You have a certain ability to attract trouble and I will sleep better knowing that you at least try to avoid it. I don´t want to lose you either. _

_Henry Rookwood is indeed the brother of Algernon Rookwood, who you fought at the Ministry. However he has been working for the Ministry for over thirty years. During Voldemort´s first rise he was one of the highest Death Eater prosecutors and had great influence at the Ministry. But about a month before Voldemort´s downfall his wife was murdered, apparently in revenge, and he has not been the same since. He lost his influence in the Ministry and I haven´t heard about him until Fudge appointed him Liaison Officer. _

_I know you had some bad experiences with Umbridge last year but I hope you don´t get into trouble with Rookwood, just because he is from the Ministry. He is said to be rather ruthless if you cross his path. _

_Tonks wants me to write you to have some fun and Moody reminds you to watch your back. Molly sends her love and says to be careful with some package the twins want to send you._

_I´d like to hear from you again and hope my answer about Rookwood satisfied your curiosity, again please stay out of trouble,_

_and take care,_

_Remus _

When Harry told Ron and Hermione on their way to Defence what Remus had written about Rookwood Hermione nodded thoughtfully. "It fits."

Noticing their enquiring looks she elaborated. "Why he´s asking about Snape. He´s looking for Death Eaters, and after what happened to his wife who could blame him?"

As they reached the doors of the Great Hall they saw Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle, blocking Neville´s path. Harry heard Ron beside him growl and felt his own anger rise. The Slytherin hadn´t bothered him so far after the threat on the train but apparently the same didn´t go for Neville.

"- maybe they _forgot_, hm, Toadie-boy? Maybe they forgot they had a son... Not that it matters much –if I had a son like you I´d rather forget about him too!"

Harry saw Hermione grab for her wand and knew she, too, was remembering last year´s Christmas in St. Mungo´s.

"What´s it like in St. Mungo´s ward for the mentally deranged and barmy? Do they like it there? You know you can get a ward right next to them if you keep hanging around with scum like Potter!-"

Harry opened his mouth, Ron raised his fists and Hermione aimed her wand but before any of them could act Neville suddenly straightened up. They couldn´t see his face because he had his back to them; but Malfoy shrank back. And with a voice Harry had never before heard from him Neville spat: "I rather have parents in St. Mungo´s than in Azkaban!"

There was a ringing silence around them as people stared at Neville facing a flinching Malfoy. Then Neville turned around in a swirl of his robes and stormed out the main entrance onto the grounds. Only after the doors had slammed shut Malfoy seemed to realise all the students still staring at him and beat a hasty retreat.

"I´ll go after him." It was a split second decision and Harry didn´t know if Neville wanted to see anyone right now, but wanted at least to make sure that Neville knew they were there for him. He half expected Hermione to object because they had Snape in a few minutes, but she was still watching the place Malfoy had just vacated with absolute loathing, muttering "How dare he! That foul, disgusting..." Ron gave her some unsure side glances and then motioned for Harry to go on.

Outside the weather was stormy, with dry leaves and torn clouds blown around by the wind. Harry looked around, searching for Neville. Maybe at the greenhouses, Neville always liked it there, but on the other hand it wasn´t a good place to be angry, the sensitive plants were best approached with calm and patience. Before he could make up his mind however Harry heard a splattering sound from the lake and walking down there he saw Neville throw another stone in the water as hard as he could.

"Neville..." Harry hesitated. Neville looked terribly upset and he didn´t know what to say.

"Leave me alone, Harry, just leave me alone!" Neville didn´t even turn back but ferociously kicked another stone in the lake as if he imagined it to be Malfoy´s head.

"Neville-"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Neville screamed at the top of his lungs and spun around to face Harry. His face was flushed and his cheeks wet, and in his eyes was nothing but fury and a wild, raw pain.

_SPLASH!_ Neville stopped dead and Harry stared shocked. Neville was drenched from head to toe in dirty water and some water plants hung from his hair and shoulders.

Turning to the lake they both saw the giant squid, in one of its arms a stone, with another rubbing its head. It slowly sank back under water again.The stone landed a few meters beside them on the grass.

Neville took a shaking breath and sank to the ground. He buried his face in his hands and made a choking noise that sounded like a suppressed sob.

"He´s right. They have forgotten that they have a son. -Why them? Why just my parents? It was even after Voldemort´s downfall! Why did the Death Eaters have to come to our house? It makes no sense, what did my family do to them?

I –sometimes I´m furious with my parents because they don´t recognise me. I think if they just tried a bit harder... I know that´s rubbish of course, they can´t help it. But still –that blank look on my mother´s face when I tried to hug her once ... when she stares at the ceiling while I talk with her..."

He pulled his knees up to his chest. "There are better times, too, of course. That day last Christmas she seemed to recognise me bit –or at least she seemed to remember that she was supposed to recognise me. Gran says there is nothing that can help them, that their death will be a release... She says I have to go on living, to put it behind me... But I can´t. I simply can´t give up hope –that some day some time some miracle happens..."

Neville whispered the last part so quietly that Harry barely caught it. They were silent for a long time.

"I think I might know why they came for your parents." For the second time Harry recounted the prophecy and what Dumbledore had told him about it. "So they probably knew their master wasn´t truly dead, and went to your parents to find out what exactly the whole prophecy said... And your parents refused to give in, refused to tell and give them a chance of finding out about Voldemort´s fate. They resisted, even if it cost them a terrible price."

The silence stretched even longer this time until finally Harry stood up. He cast a drying charm over Neville, who looked lost in his thoughts, and turned to head back up to the castle.

"They made a hard choice, a brave choice, and they stood by it." Neville gave no sign that he had heard him. "I think you´ve got more in common with them than you realise, Neville."

########################################################################

Harry returned to the castle in time to go to Charms, leaving Neville by the lake. Of course they had both missed Defence and he made sure to avoid Snape on his way to the Charms classroom. Neville didn´t turn up until lunch and then his face showed that his thoughts were still somewhere else, so no one bothered him.

That is, no one but Snape. The professor strode in during the meal and after one brief survey of the Gryffindor table spotted whom he had looking for. "Potter! Longbottom! May I ask why you deemed it not necessary to show up for class today?"

Before Harry could think of a convincing lie –not that Snape would believe it anyway –Neville answered: "I was sitting outside by the lake and thinking. Harry wanted me to come back in."

Harry felt like he couldn´t take much more surprises from Neville today. There he was, speaking calmly to a teacher that had made him quiver yesterday.

"And what, pray tell, was so important that you had to think about it the whole morning?"

"That I´m proud of my parents." Neville looked Snape into the eyes. "Sir."

The professor seemed at a loss for words for a moment, then pulled himself together. "Be that as it may, Longbottom, you missed class today. Ten points from Gryffindor and detention this evening."

Neville nodded and turned back to his plate as Snape walked to the Head table.

Ron swallowed the mouthful he had forgotten about during the scene. "Neville! That was bloody awesome! What has gotten into you?! He was so stunned he even forgot to punish Harry!"

Neville just shrugged. "Think I better go and apologise to the other teachers for missing their classes."

Hermione rounded on Harry as soon as Neville had left. "Harry! What did you say to him?"

"Oh, just the truth." Harry felt his smile grow wider as he thought about the change in Neville´s behaviour. He was sure he had made the right choice about telling him the prophecy.

Over the students heads he suddenly caught Dumbledore´s questioning look and nodded once in response.

########################################################################

In the evening Harry waited in the common room for Neville to return. It was getting late –Snape seemed to have gotten over his shock about his most easily intimidated student standing up to him and kept Neville really long in detention.

Finally Neville stumbled through the portrait hole, covered in cobwebs and clearly exhausted. "Are you waiting for me, Harry? You needn´t have."

"Yeah, but I wanted to. Listen," Harry looked around the room but there were only two third years, dozed off over their chess game, "I need to say some more things about what I told you earlier. You can´t talk about it with anyone, or let anyone know that you know about it.-"

"Harry, my parents lost their minds to keep it quiet –of course I won´t talk about it!"

"Right, yeah, of course. And, well, you know, I would understand it if you want to keep some distance from me now...-"

Neville took a deep breath and interrupted him again. "I, too, made my choice. And I, too, will stand by it!"

Harry saw the determination in Neville´s eyes as they both turned and headed for their dormitory. "I didn´t want to insult you, I said the same to Ron and Hermione. It´s just that I feel you should have the chance to back out if you want to."

########################################################################

The next day, Tuesday, didn´t start as eventful. Malfoy, who had started the whole scene the day before, was keeping his head down at the Slytherin table and didn´t once look in Neville´s direction. Though Harry noticed that he was sitting just across Graham Cole and occasionally whispering with him. Harry had not spoken with Cole since their encounter with Peter Doves, he hadn´t watched the Map anymore or even looked at the Slytherin during Herbology. He didn´t know why but felt strangely betrayed by Cole´s behaviour.

According to the rumours Peter Doves was on his way to recovery but didn´t know anything about what happened to him. Madam Pomfrey was fuming and had apparently sworn to have everyone guilty of "putting another student into this miscreant cabinet" cleaning the bedpans in the hospital wing until graduation.

"Ouch!" Harry turned his attention back to his own table and realised a tiny, red-brown owl pecking sharply at his fingers. Again mail for him! Sometimes he spent months without getting a single letter and now he got mail two days in a row!

"Wha´ssit?"

The owl held out the foot with the attached letter and Harry realised that to its other foot a package was tied. Unrolling the parchment he read:

_Dear Mr Potter _

_We are absolutely delighted to inform you that your investment in our business has so far returned the original sum of your investment, 1000 Galleons._

_According to your generous wishes we will take the return and reinvest it into our shop at Number 93, Diagon Alley. We have already been able to rent the premises and will soon open the best equipped, most adventurous and fun loving Joke Shop the world has ever seen._

_-Hiya Harry, so far the official part of our letter –we had to learn some business slang to get it contact with our suppliers. –"Boomslang Snake Farm" wouldn´t answer us after we sent them a hissing and slithering parchment, they thought it was a _joke_! Can you imagine that!-_

_Anyway, we set up a new vault for you at Gringotts, Number 3027, where any of your money will go that we don´t need for the shop. _

_And since you´re now officially our partner (don´t worry, officially doesn´t mean we´ll announce it in the Daily Prophet –though it would be some good promotion!) we´re sending you our newest invention –the Gluey Jelly Gum._

_We trust you to find out by yourself what it does, just promise us you will use it on your cousin next summer, since it was him who gave us the inspiration!_

_The Proud and Pranking Owners of Weasley´s Wizarding Wheezes,_

_Fred and George_

So this was the package Mrs Weasley had wanted to warn him about. Curiously Harry opened it, all the while careful so it wouldn´t suddenly explode in his face. He didn´t think the twins would want to blow up their partner, but then you never knew with them.

Nothing happened, in the box lay just about a dozen absolutely innocent looking gum balls, and Harry remembered George poking at one of Dudley's old toys at Privet Drive on his birthday.

"What are they?" Hermione stretched to touch the balls.

"Don´t!" Ron grabbed her hand. "Are you mad? Don´t ever touch anything from the twins!"

Then he seemed to notice that he was holding her hand and, blushing, dropped quickly.

"Right, erm, shall we go to Transfiguration then?" Not looking at Harry or Hermione Ron stood up and grabbed his bag. Seeing the unreadable look on Hermione´s face Harry decided not to comment on the fact that they had still over fifteen minutes till the beginning of the lesson.

Transfiguration passed with Ron deliberately partnering with a Ravenclaw and Hermione hiding behind her notes, which left Harry to concentrate on his studies as well. Which were actually quite interesting –they were studying to animate inanimate objects and Harry wondered if that was what Dumbledore had done in his duel against Voldemort at the Ministry. The statues sure were inanimate objects, but from the way McGonagall explained it and the difficulties Harry had with animating a tin soldier to make a step it was terribly difficult and required lots of concentration. And the Headmaster had controlled four statues and at the same time duelled...

Focusing his whole mind on the unmoving tin soldier and _willing_ it to step forward Harry nearly growled in frustration. This particular spell surely would come in handy in a duel, he would try and teach it to the DA –if it wasn´t just that damn difficult! Narrowing his eyes he commanded again _Spiritu!_

And to his astonishment the toy lifted its left foot –and fell flat on its face.

"Mr Potter! Excellent work! Ten points to Gryffindor." McGonagall had one of her rare smiles on her face and proudly nodded at Harry´s soldier.

"But it didn´t even make one step!" Harry protested to Hermione when McGonagall had moved on.

She rolled her eyes at him. "I take it you didn´t listen, then? We weren´t supposed to succeed with that spell today. This is one of the most difficult spells of Transfiguration, many wizards never manage it –Professor McGonagall just wanted us to get a feeling for the soldier and how the spell could work."

She gave him a piercing look. "How _did _you make it work?"

"Er, dunno? I just really wanted it..."

Hermione rolled her eyes again at his clueless answer and obviously decided that her time would be spent better by practising the spell herself than expect a reasonable answer from him.

By the end of the lesson Harry was convinced it had been a fluke because his soldier didn´t as much as twitch for the rest of the period.

After that mind numbing concentration Harry was happy to meet with Neville for a considerably less strenuous time in Herbology, studying from their textbooks the properties of a plant that was so rare not even Professor Sprout had ever seen one.

When Harry packed his bag at the end of the lesson he was suddenly pushed aside roughly.

"Watch were you´re standing, you´re blocking the path!" And Harry watched disbelievingly as Graham Cole left the greenhouse. There was plenty of room to walk out without jostling him.

"Don´t mind them, just the Slytherins being their usual self."

Harry nodded at Neville but wondered what that particular Slytherin was up to. Cole had ignored him since the Vanishing Cabinet evening, he had not given any indication that it ever happened, and this was the first time he had actually said anything to Harry in public. But why?

Maybe he felt compelled to behave like this because of his apparent new friendship with Malfoy? Without really watching them Harry had gotten the impression that the two Slytherins were hanging out together more. Maybe Cole was trying to impress Malfoy, or Malfoy´s attitude was rubbing off.

While he had been thinking Harry nearly walked into one of the two people on his mind. "Watch it, Potter, or is your head too big now to..."

Harry decided for once not to listen to whatever insult Malfoy would come up with this time and quickly walked into the Potions classroom before the Slytherin could finish his sentence.

Which seemed to anger Malfoy even more, obviously he didn´t like being ignored. Harry sighed. It wasn´t going to be a quiet Potions class.

Like every lesson since the first disastrous one Professor Sanfter partnered Harry with Hermione. "Just watch the Boy-Who-Lived, dear, and don´t do anything on your own. I´m sure you can manage to brew a potion with his help, dear." Hermione just pressed her lips together and took out her potion´s ingredients without looking at Sanfter.

Harry had to give her that she was still handling the Professor remarkably well. He had snapped in the third week, after constantly being called the Boy-Who-Lived. While it seemed to annoy Malfoy to no end (which was amusing to watch, as he ruined several of his potions and even blew up his cauldron once), it annoyed Harry at least as much.

But it hadn´t made the least change. The next lesson Sanfter had started the whole Boy-Who-Lived thing as if nothing had happened. Ron claimed that Sanfter didn´t remember anything from one lesson to the next, and beside the constant watching of Hermione Harry had to agree with his friend.

"Here are your assignments from last week, some of you did really excellent work." Sanfter beamed at Harry, who ground his teeth. Not surprisingly his parchment bore a large red O. He knew he didn´t deserve an O, he had written the whole thing while he was half asleep after a DA meeting, with borrowed notes from Ron.

"Now, today we are going to brew the Nox Velox Potion –It will slow down the drinker for about a day, therefore the name. But the real benefit is the relaxed state it leaves one in. It is sometimes taken by professional Quidditch players a day before their game, so they will be relaxed when it starts. However it´s really unfortunate if not brewed correctly and the effect lasts longer than a day... Please begin now."

Hermione began to read the instructions while Harry prepared some of the ingredients but he mostly kept an eye on Malfoy. Exploding cauldrons were a daily occurrence and they didn´t want to risk being bathed in some substance no one could even identify.

Sure enough halfway through the lesson Hannah Abbott´s and Justin Finch-Fletchley´s cauldron melted, splattering them both as well as their immediate neighbours. It looked like they had at least been halfway correct with their potion –all the victims were moving with utmost slowness. On the other hand none of them seemed relaxed.

It took Harry only one look at Goyle´s grinning face to know who the culprits were. He sighed as Sanfter started squealing and sending students to the Hospital Wing. It was no use to point out to the professor who had done it. He would just say something along the lines of "Now, now, dear, I´m sure they would never do something like that. It probably just exploded because they chopped the frog liver too carelessly."

Harry really wondered why Dumbledore had employed Sanfter; as much as he hated to admit it even Potions with Snape had been better than that.

"Oh dear, oh dear, maybe you better finish your potions next time. We better clean this before anyone else comes into contact with it. Please be careful when you leave, and could the Boy-Who-Lived please remain behind."

Great! Now he got to clean up the mess Malfoy had created. The Slytherin smirked at him as he walked out. Ron caught Harry´s furious look and shrugged sympathetically. At his side Hermione sighed: "I´d stay and help you, but I doubt Professor Sanfter would let me anywhere near the potion." Harry thought he heard a definitely sarcastic undertone in the way Hermione said 'Professor'.

"Oh dear, this will take a while I fear. Nox Velox with acorn powder... What _were_ they thinking?"

Sanfter was right –to remove the potion would take a while. It sticked to the floor and the tables like glue and hardened as it cooled down. Even vanishing spells could only clean away very small patches at a time.

"I´m getting too old for this... Why _did_ I agree to Albus´ suggestion? I should have known..."

"Erm, Professor? If you don´t mind me asking, why did Professor Dumbledore ask you to teach? I mean with Professor Snape he already had a Potions teacher." With any other teacher Harry wouldn´t have dared to ask that but Sanfter he just couldn´t take seriously.

"Oh, but he needed Professor Snape to teach Defence against the Dark Arts, he said that he couldn´t find any other candidate for the job, seems no one wants it... And Albus was rather insistent that he had the post covered, he said something about the Ministry having the right to appoint someone if he couldn´t find a suitable candidate... wonder what´s so bad about that though... Ah, but I wish I could have enjoyed my retirement longer."

"What were you doing before your retirement? Were you teaching?"

"No, no, dear, I was working for a chain of apothecaries, inventing new potions for them. And of course I spent a lot of time at my brother´s asylum."

"Asylum?"

"Oh, yes, my brother had an asylum for homeless youths, and I helped out there a lot."

Harry raised his eyebrows. He could _not_ imagine Sanfter working with a lot of teenagers who had been living on the streets. The teacher took his disbelieving stare for interest and continued.

"It was the only one in Britain, for wizards and witches that is, and he had always about twenty of them living there." Sanfter lowered his voice. "Of course there were more during the rise of You-Know-Who –those that had lost their parents and ran away from their relatives or orphanages, and those whose parents wanted them to join the Death Eaters... I must tell you I was never again so relieved and happy as the day you defeated You-Know-Who. You were the hero of everyone at the asylum."

Harry shifted embarrassed. "I really didn´t do much... It was just luck. –What happened with the asylum?"

Sanfter stared at his hands, on his face such a deep sadness Harry regretted to have asked. "It burned down last year. Luckily most of the children were on a trip, but some had stayed at home... like my brother... The Ministry arrived too late to save anyone, they couldn´t even salvage the bodies. The Aurors detected some Dark Magic around the remains of the house but they never found out what happened."

"I´m sorry..." Harry whispered horrified.

"I... I think we´re finished here, maybe you should go to the Great Hall now, or you´ll miss dinner..."

Harry nodded silently as he left but Sanfter continued to stare at his hands.

########################################################################

Sanfter´s words continued ringing through his mind the whole evening. He gave Ron and Hermione a slightly abridged version of what the teacher had told him and then went to his spot on the south tower. ..._'but some had stayed at home'_... He needed to clear his mind before his weekly Occlumency lesson with Dumbledore.

When he put his hands into the pockets of his cloak against the cold wind he felt a crumbled parchment. Curious what it was since he could not remember putting it in the pocket, Harry pulled the piece of parchment out and smoothed it.

_Need to talk with you. Meet me the same time and place we met last time. Don´t tell anyone. -__The slimy, evil Slytherin_

* * *

_**A.N.:** Yeah, I´m back! Hope to return to updating once a week. -Please leave me a review and tell me what you think!_

_**A.N.:** Now, this is_ _the third_ _time I upload this chapter! Will it stay up this time? One wonders..._


	9. The Snake breaks free

**Chapter 9: The Snake breaks free**

_Need to talk with you. Meet me the same time and place we met last time. Don't tell anyone._

_-The slimy, evil Slytherin_

Harry read the short text for the third time. It didn't change.

_The slimy, evil Slytherin_- Cole must have stuffed the parchment into his pocket today in Herbology, when he ran right into Harry. But –the question remained the same- why?

If this was some idea Cole and Malfoy had cooked up together... It sounded suspicious like the time in their first year when Malfoy had challenged him to a duel after curfew, only to send Filch after Harry. But Malfoy wouldn't go for something as childish and harmless again... Harry remembered only too well the threat on the train.

_Don't tell anyone_. He definitely didn't like that bit. If something happened to him no one would even suspect Cole, no one knew they had met before.

On the other hand Cole had helped some Muggleborns then. Could it all have been a set-up? Trying to make Harry trust Cole so they could –well, could what? Maybe it wasn't simply Malloy's plan, maybe it was far greater, another scheme of Voldemort? But wouldn't he rather use the same ploy as last year –since it had worked so well?

Harry grimaced. It was no use. He could not determine what Cole wanted and if he was honest or would lead him into a trap. He could only trust his judgement and considering the consequences of his choices last year that wasn't a very encouraging thought.

Did he trust Cole? No. But if he didn't go he might never find out what it was all about. So, go but bring someone else with him? Under his Invisibility Cloak? But if Cole had some good reason for meeting him alone...

Harry made his decision, turned to the staircase to descend the tower and made his way to his dormitory. He took the Map and Invisibility Cloak out of his trunk, hoping this would give him at least some advantage of surprise, and then wrote a short note. It was addressed to Ron and with the same timer spell that Cole had used Harry set an alarm on one o'clock in the night before stuffing the whole thing under his pillow.

If he wouldn't return they would at least know where he had gone and whom he had met. Then he suddenly felt foolish, like the paranoid hero of some bad crime story, and was tempted to tear the note up. A quick glance at his watch however prevented that –his Occlumency lesson had started five minutes ago.

It was just Harry's bad luck that Dumbledore decided to have their first 'real' lesson that day. Meaning that for the first time Dumbledore actually used the Legilimens spell on him.

Harry concentrated on his paperclip, trying to block all other thoughts out, trying not to think anymore. _But what if it was a trap?_ The paperclip wavered, then was pushed aside by other images. _Cole pushing him against the table in Herbology, Malfoy trying to insult him before Potions, Harry standing on top of South Tower..._ -no, he could not let Dumbledore see that, the Headmaster would want to know about the meeting, most likely forbid it-

_No, you don't see this!_ Harry realised he was on his knees, on the soft carpet of Dumbledore's office.

"Now, Harry, I'd say you still have some work to do on preventing me from entering, but you have a rather effective way of pushing one out." Dumbledore was pinching his nose with two fingers. "Can you tell me why you lost focus on your paperclip?"

Harry thought fast –he always thought that the Headmaster had some way to know if he was telling the truth. Well, there was nothing for it, he only hoped whatever Cole wanted was worth it. "I had a lot on my mind today, and I didn't have time to clear my thoughts."

"Something I can help you with?"

"Uh, no, not really –I –well, Professor Sanfter just told me today of his brother and the asylum..."

Dumbledore had a faraway look in his eyes. "Yes, Detlef and his brother... he has not been the same since..." Then he seemed to remember Harry and added with a bitter smile, "It is a shame that the Ministry never managed to clear it up –it wasn't too high on their priorities´ list last year, I suppose."

No, if Umbridge was anything to go by the Ministry had most likely tried to cover the whole thing up, especially when there had been some Dark Magic used... And since there were no insistent relatives demanding results and an explanation it had probably been all too easy to just close the case.

"But that is another story for another time. We should get back to our lesson. How did you push me out?"

It took Harry a moment to gather his thoughts. "Well, I just realised that it was you who wanted to see my memories –and that I didn't want you to. I, erm, sort of remembered what I'm doing here and what I wanted –It's a bit like the _Imperio_, you have to remember who you are."

Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully. "As I've said before Occlumency is different for every individual. If that method works for you –and it apparently does- then you stick to it. Now all we have to work on is strengthening your focus and concentration so you can block anyone from entering your thoughts in the first place."

And they practiced. Harry managed well enough on the next few tries, though he suspected that Dumbledore was holding back, but towards the end of the lesson his nervousness returned. He hoped Dumbledore would call it a day soon –'_same time as last time'_ meant shortly after curfew, and it was nearly that late already.

Finally the lesson was over and Harry tried not to leave too hastily. Covering himself with the cloak on the staircase ride down he sneaked through the deserted corridors. Pausing in a shadowy corner he pulled out the Map and activated it. 'Graham Cole' stood by the Vanishing Cabinet on the first floor. Peeves was three classrooms further down the corridor but otherwise there was no one near them.

Harry thought he'd rather not reveal all his secrets and took the cloak off. After putting the disillusioning spell on himself he took a deep breath and decided to get this over with.

"So you've come."

"What do you want?" Harry trained his eyes on the moving shape near the cabinet. Great, now they were both disillusioned, again.

"Not here. We'll talk somewhere else, where we won't be that easily overheard."

"No." Harry was not about to follow the Slytherin to Merlin knows where. Not when he couldn't check the map to see if someone else was lurking around there. "If you want to go somewhere else I decide where we go."

Cole hesitated a moment. "OK. But do you know a good place?"

"Hm." It was Harry's turn to hesitate. He didn't really want to bring the Slytherin to the Room of Requirement but couldn't think of another good solution. At least he knew how to seal the Room so no one else could enter, thanks to Terry's research. "Alright, follow me."

Neither said a word while they walked to the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy and his failing dancing lessons. Harry walked three times up and down the corridor and could almost feel the Slytherin's bewildered stare. Then the shining brass door appeared and Harry led them in. A small, plain room with two armchairs greeted them, and a large mirror hung on one of the walls, looking oddly out of place.

Harry sealed the door with a quick move of his wand and then, after a brief thought, took off his disillusioning spell. He sat down in the armchair facing the mirror and waited for Cole to do the same.

The Slytherin took his time but finally dispelled his own spell and faced him. Harry for the first time had the opportunity to look the other boy in the face and noticed the guarded look behind half closed eyelids. Both sat in silence; Cole either had lost his nerve or wanted Harry to begin.

"So, we're here, no one can overhear us. What do you want?"

"You haven't told anyone about the other night with Doves, or the night in the forest?"

"No, I haven't."

"Or about today?"

"No." Harry was slowly growing impatient.

"You have to promise that you won't tell anyone about what I'll tell you. I want your Wizard's Oath on that."

"Wizard's Oath? And what _do_ you want to tell me?"

"First the Oath."

Harry sighed. "OK -what exactly is a Wizard's Oath? How do I swear it, and erm, what happens if I break it?"

"It's a magical binding, it binds you to keep your word. You really don't know?" Cole looked surprised. "I don't know what'll happen if you break it, that depends on the caster, and the promise you made, and how important it was... But it won't be nice. I've heard of a guy who lost some, er, rather private parts –of course he _had_ promised not to see his friend's wife anymore..."

Cole leaned back in his armchair. "Now just say the words, you don't even need your wand, the Oath works itself into the magic within your body."

"I, Harry Potter, swear on my Wizard's Honour that I will not reveal any information about what you tell me this evening without your consent. I am bound by my word and magic," Harry repeated the words after the Slytherin. "Satisfied? Can we then finally move on to the reason for this meeting?"

"I know something." Cole watched his hands again. "The first Hogsmeade weekend, on Halloween, something will happen."

"Er- so? What?"

"I don't know what. All I know is that something bad will happen!"

Harry got the feeling that this was maybe some kind of weird joke –or Cole was a bit mental.

"Look, I know how it sounds –but it's true! I've heard it from Malfoy; there is something planned for the first Hogsmeade weekend, for the students. The Slytherins won't go –they will sign up for it but then arrange something to stay behind, so it won't look suspicious."

"Then we should go to Dumbledore! He can cancel the weekend, or put more security there."

"NO! I can't tell him, no one can know that I've told this to anyone."

"Then what? Why did you come to me?"

"Well, I couldn't go to Dumbledore, but I can meet you without anyone knowing."

"But why? If you don't want me to tell Dumbledore, if I can't tell anyone, what can I do? Why tell me if all I can do is sit around and wait for it to happen, whatever it is?"

"You seem to get through everything... I told you so you'd be prepared... And I can't risk an increase of official security, they would know that someone had leaked that information to Dumbledore, but if some unofficial security measures were taken, something unexpected... They would be surprised and wouldn't know that it happened because you were prepared, because you knew before... -I, well, I think you could use this Defence group of yours from last year."

"You're mad! We are not good enough yet, we don't have enough experience or knowledge or practice! You honestly expect us to fight God knows how many Death Eaters or whatever else they have planned? You don't even know what exactly they have planned! How could we be prepared? And we're only a few; we're not enough people! This is insane!" Harry exclaimed disbelievingly.

Cole crossed his arms defensively. "It's the only way. I'm not going to tell anyone else. Either you do something or you don't, it's your decision."

"I can't believe you! Even if you get into some trouble with the other Slytherins you have to go to Dumbledore! How can you just sit back and do nothing? Do you really want to risk lots of students to be killed just because you don't want to disappoint your housemates?"

"You understand nothing! I'm not sitting back and doing nothing! I told you! And that's all I'm going to do, the rest is up to you," Cole hissed.

"Yeah, great! Tell me and leave me in absolutely no position to help –so you can tell yourself you did everything you could, and I'm the one to blame if something bad happens!" Harry shouted back just as angry.

"You don't understand. I can't help you more –if anyone finds out I'm dead."

Harry snorted. "Dead, yeah? How do you expect me to understand if you don't tell me?"

"I can't." Cole was speaking to his hands again. "Well, if you can't do anything then, I guess, there's nothing more to talk about." But he made no move to leave.

Harry silently watched the mirror on the wall opposite of him until it slowly dawned on him that it wasn't a mirror at all. There were foggy shapes in it, and he thought he saw two glinting red slits once; it was a foe glass. It had not gotten clearer since he had been in the room with Cole –apparently he wasn't an enemy then. But not exactly helpful either.

"So," Harry finally sighed, "the only way is to have the DA fight. –Why did you come to me at all? Why do you want to stop that attack?"

The Slytherin seemed to have an angry retort on the tip of his tongue but then only responded warily, "Would you ask another Gryffindor that? Or a Hufflepuff or a Ravenclaw? Just because I'm in Slytherin doesn't mean that I don't care if some students are killed."

No, he wouldn't have asked if Cole were in any house but Slytherin Harry thought, but -"Well, it might help against the prejudices if Slytherins decided not to act like them all the time. –But back to Hogsmeade. I need to tell the DA something."

Cole looked up quickly. "Tell them that you've got a bad feeling, with this being the first Hogsmeade weekend after the Dark Lords official return. Just don't mention that you've heard it from me, or from any Slytherin. Don't say anything about Malfoy, or the Slytherins staying at Hogwarts."

"OK, but I want something from you as well." Harry looked sharply at the other boy. "I want you to try and find out as much as you can about the attack and tell me. How much Death Eaters there'll be, dark creatures, when they'll attack, what's their into me in Herbology and we'll meet in the evening."

Cole swallowed and nodded; and as both of them realised how late it already was they quickly hurried out and parted for their different common rooms.

# # #

Harry spent the night tossing in his sleep, dreaming about Death Eaters burning down the village of Hogsmeade and the sound of a high, cruel laugh echoing over the fire and fallen students. Needless to say he wasn't in the best mood the following day. Snape grated on his nerves during DADA and he lost Gryffindor thirty points for 'looking disrespectfully at a Professor'. Hermione kept eyeing him concernedly. Ron asked him where he had been so long last night, luckily out of Hermione's earshot. By lunch he felt ready to scream.

The worst was that he still didn't know if had made the right choice. Or if he had made his choice already. He could still go to Dumbledore and risk breaking his Oath. Any student that died in Hogsmeade would be partly his responsibility if he didn't do everything in his power to prevent it. Could he really put his own well-being –in not breaking the Oath – over the life of another? Did he have the right to keep quiet? On the other hand did he have the right to break the Oath? He had given his word after all. And he didn't like the possibility of losing any body parts –how could he fight Voldemort if he lost his wand arm for example? Above all Harry was angry with Cole for bringing him into that situation in the first place.

Finally the last period of the day began and Harry, who had that period free, ran to his dormitory and grabbed his Firebolt. He spent an hour with the most daring and reckless moves he knew, barely pulling out of Wronski Feints and scraping the grass in Vicious Spirals. He hadn't found a solution when he landed breathlessly and a bit dizzy, but felt much calmer and ready to face the DA meeting.

"I have been thinking since our last meeting and, well, I've come to an alarming conclusion. The next Hogsmeade weekend, on Halloween, will be the first since Voldemort is officially back. And I'm worried. Voldemort doesn't have to hide anymore, the Dementors have already joined him and on Halloween it'll be exactly fifteen years since he lost his power. From what I've seen from him so far he has a weakness for dramatics –yeah, Zacharias, how else would you call the Dark Mark over his victims´ houses or the whole 'Lord' thing? –and what better way to announce his return than an attack on Hogsmeade and at the same time on Hogwarts' students?

I've got no proof or anything definite but I've got a bad feeling. I'm sure Dumbledore and the Professors have already planned for this possibility but I thought we could change the DA meetings a bit to be better prepared. Instead of learning much new spells I want to concentrate more on duelling and fighting until Halloween, and on the Patronus. We will still learn a few new spells but our main focus is for the moment on how to use them in a fight."

Harry surveyed the DA members sitting in front of him briefly. They seemed serious but not panicky. "I don't want you to repeat this to anyone –remember the promise you made when you signed the parchment. We don't want to start rumours and cause a panic – most probably nothing will happen. OK? Then get together in groups of three –we'll start with duels two on one today. In a real battle you'd most likely be outnumbered or against more skilled and experienced opponents too."

It didn't go very well. Most students could not concentrate on fighting two opponents at the same time and the duels were over soon –only Parvati, Lavender and Hannah Abbot ended up in a stalemate because they all put up shields and neither did attack. They had a lot of work to do.

However the members seemed to feel Harry's anxiousness and urgency and despite it being the toughest DA meeting so far and Harry pushing harder than ever there was little protest and only few growled under their breaths. By the end of the lesson some students could hold their own against two opponents at least for a short time but Harry felt it wasn't enough, not by a long shot.

"OK, good work today everyone. Until our next meeting I want you to practice shield charms –so you can get them up in an instant without thinking. Also look over the Patronus –Hopefully we will be able to see how well you do against a real Dementor by next week."

Harry earned a lot of disbelieving stares. Not only was this the first time he had assigned any 'homework' but the DA also wondered how he would get a real Dementor.

Soon only Ron and Hermione remained behind. "What's going on, mate? You didn't say anything all week that you're worried about Hogsmeade. I didn't even know we had a Hogsmeade weekend on Halloween at all."

"You didn't have another dream, did you? If you know something you should really go to Dumbledore, Harry, he could cancel the weekend."

"No, I didn't have dream and I won't go to Dumbledore –I don't _know_ anything. It's just that I've got a really bad feeling about it. –Maybe I'm getting as paranoid as Mad Eye." Harry hated how much he lied to his friends recently –and how good he had gotten at it.

Even Hermione seemed convinced. "I guess it's only normal with the prophecy –and it can't hurt if the DA is prepared even if nothing happens."

"You don't think I overdid it today in the meeting?"

"It was pretty intense but we knew why you were so serious about it –and I think it's a good thing to step the practice up a bit."

"Yeah, mate, and the two on one was cool –it's different from a normal duel but once you've gotten used to it it's fun."

Harry grinned and shook his head. Ron, along with Dean and Padma, had managed to defend himself longest against two others. The difference between Harry's best friends had been very obvious during the duels. Hermione, while brilliant when concentrating on one thing, had difficulties with keeping focus on two opponents. Ron on the other hand rarely concentrated on one thing –while he did his homework he managed to tease his sister, play a game of chess with Harry and devise a new Quidditch strategy. This ability to handle multiple tasks at the same time helped immensely during the chaotic fights.

While they silently walked back to the common room Harry wondered how he could get a Boggart for the next meeting –and whether Cole would find out at least a bit more information about the attack.

# # #

The next morning the Daily Prophet brought news that sent the whole school –well, almost the whole school –into an atmosphere of worry and near panic. First years walked only in groups from class to class, Flitwick gave Ron a detention for laughing and Harry overheard a fourth year from Ravenclaw telling her friend that You-Know-Who would take over the school at dinner. Malfoy smirked pleased. Beside him only Trelawney was in her element. Any members of the DA that might have had some doubts about Harry's new training style revised their opinions.

Azkaban had fallen last night.

According to the newspaper the sickly green light of the Dark Mark greeted the new shift of guards upon their arrival. In the prison they found only the corpses of the previous guards and a few dead prisoners. No Death Eaters were among the bodies. The Prophet printed a list of all those who escaped –Harry found the names of all the Death Eaters from the Ministry from last June. All counted over two hundred prisoners had escaped. Fudge was not available for a comment. The newspaper warned that not only were most of the escaped ones Death Eaters, but most others were dangerous criminals, sentenced to long-term imprisonment and probably insane by now. Reactions from people all over the country showed fear and anger towards the government.

Harry put the newspaper down and concentrated on his lunch. After reading the article again he knew what had bothered him all morning –_he wasn't surprised_. It was as if he had been waiting for this all the time, and he knew it was only the beginning. Malfoy looked up from his plate and into Harry's eyes and smiled, the same cold, knowing smile as on the train, and then he winked before turning back and talking with Graham Cole again.

After the meal Ernie and Susan waved Harry, Hermione and Ron over into a quiet corridor. Padma, who had seen it and apparently had had similar intentions, grabbed Anthony Goldstein and followed them.

"This is a grave change of the present situation, it requires serious adjustments on our part. We all have to make sacrifices, and we are ready and willing to do so –it is our duty as students of Hogwarts and members of the DA!" Ernie declared.

Harry, who had no idea what the Hufflepuff expected him to answer, raised his eyebrow questioningly at Susan for help. She seemed to fight the tiniest of a smile but became serious when she answered, "We want to ask you to hold the DA meetings more often. It's now more important than ever, and we need to learn as much as we can as soon as possible."

Padma nodded at her side. "Yes, and you were right. Hogsmeade is too good an opportunity for You-Know-Who to pass up on it –now, with all the Death Eaters free..." Her voice shook slightly.

"You'd really want to fight them? Even if we train and practice more often we'll be inferior..." Harry countered doubtfully.

"Why do you think we stayed in the DA this year? You made it very clear that this was a possibility, and with You-Know-Who's return we all knew what we got ourselves into."

Hermione smiled at Anthony and said, "Well, it's not sure if Dumbledore and the teachers will even allow a Hogsmeade weekend with the news of the break-out. But even if they don't I think it's a good idea to be as prepared as possible."

"If you all think so..." Harry thought fast. Getting the DA more prepared was always a good idea, but real hope gave him Hermione's first thought. Maybe the whole problem with the attack would be solved without the DA fighting or him breaking his Oath. "OK, then we'll meet more often –at least those who want to. I'll set a new meeting time with the Galleons, maybe some time on the weekend?"

After general nods they parted ways and Harry hurried outside to Hagrid's hut. If they met so soon he had to get a Boggart fast. Hopefully Hagrid could help him with that, after all Boggarts were magical creatures even if they had learned about them in Defence. Harry was sure that Snape would rather dress up as Neville's grandmother than help Harry with anything.

"Aye, Harry! What brings'ya down here? D'ya want ter see my Cusith? –He's really coming 'round now, lots friendlier than when I found 'im!"

"Uh, er, no, Hagrid." The giant green dog was chewing viciously on a bone that was as long as Harry was tall. "No, I wanted to ask you a favour, Hagrid. You see, we decided to practice a bit more Defence, review things from the last years... and one of the things was Boggarts."

"Hermione's already made ya study plans for the NEWTs, hm?" Hagrid asked chuckling. "The girl's really looking our fer ya!"

"Erm, and we need a Boggart to practice on..."

"I'm supposed ter get rid of any of them on the school grounds – wouldn't do ter scare the firs' years half ter death."

"Couldn't you keep one of them for me? I promise we won't let it escape. We've all learned about them with Professor Lupin already. Please Hagrid, I can't ask Professor Snape, you know he hates me."

"Na, Harry, o' course he doesn't hate ya! He's a teacher, I'm sure he woul' help ya."

"But you're the Professor for Care of Magical Creatures, and they are magical creatures, aren't they? I'm sure you can tell me all about them!"

Hagrid blushed under his beard. "Just Dumbledore who lets me teach... I'm no Professor; just have a hand fer animals, great man, Dumbledore... Boggarts –yeah, I can tell yer a few things about 'hem. All right, I'll keep one fer ya, I'm sure ye can handle it."

"Great! Thanks, Hagrid! And do you know if there's any way to keep a Boggart in a shape it has assumed? For example, if you're afraid of spiders to keep it an Acromantula even if another person is in front of the Boggart after you?"

"Don' know if tha's possible –guess ya would have ter stay nearer to the Boggart than the other one so it keeps yer form. -But why would anyone be afraid of an Acromantula?"

Harry said goodbye to Hagrid soon later without telling him about the shape Ron's Boggart took. All considered the visit went well –Hagrid would get them a Boggart for the DA meetings and the members would have a Dementor to practice on as long as Harry stayed closest to it. Well, maybe he should go to the kitchens before the meeting and ask Dobby for a huge stack of chocolate -he would surely need it, and most likely many other DA members too.

# # #

The rest of the week dragged on. After a few days with nothing more happening the students calmed down a bit about the break-out. One of the escaped criminals was caught –he was dancing madly over the market place of a small town in Wiltshire, singing 'Avada Kedavra' and pointing at Muggles. Luckily he didn't have his wand with him.

The Daily Prophet reported that Aurors had stunned him and he was now heavily guarded and held by the Ministry in some top-secret location. Fudge told the papers that it was only the Ministries' tireless efforts that led to the capture of the prisoner and kept the public safe.

"What a bragging idiot! Neville's toad would have realised that he's a criminal! He was _singing_ _Avada Kedavra,_ for crying out loud!" Ron said when he read the paper.

On Friday the Quibbler wrote that the Ministry didn't find out more about the break-out and couldn't get any reliable information about the Death Eaters' current location from the caught prisoner –he was simply too crazy. The voices demanding a new Minister were getting more and louder but Fudge had over the years perfected the art of clinging to his office. His government was sending out leaflets like 'What to do when a crazy criminal or a dangerous Death Eater enters your house' and 'Be prepared but do not fear –the Ministry is watching you'.

Harry set the next DA meeting on Sunday morning so they would have a lot of time. Luckily this didn't interfere with any Quidditch training –it was the Slytherin's practice time. Hagrid had found a Boggart in the dungeons and Harry had stashed the furiously shaking box into the Room of Requirement the evening before, carefully sealing the box as well as the room before he left.

Now he was waiting for the other members to arrive while Dobby popped in and out of the Room of Requirement with heaps of chocolate and Neville and Hermione were duelling Ron.

"Hey, Harry," Ron shouted while picking up his wand, "you should do some duelling too! You normally don't get much practice during the meetings."

Harry knew Ron was right –he couldn't teach and at the same time duel and practice. It hadn't mattered much as long as the DA was simply learning new spells because he had learned all the spells before them to be able to teach but he would have to find a solution for it now.

At this moment the door opened and the DA members began to file in. Hermione seemed relieved and Neville dropped onto a pillow on the ground.

"OK everyone. I think you've all heard why we'll meet more often from now and I'm glad you could all come. Today I want to go over the Patronus again –you all can produce at least some mist by now and a lot of you can do a corporeal Patronus." Harry exchanged a brief smile with Susan.

"Now we'll take it to the next step and you try it against a Dementor. I doubt Dumbledore would approve if I brought a real Dementor so I've managed to get a Boggart. It'll take my shape –a Dementor –and you can practice against it.

I've come across a Ministry leaflet yesterday –'Defying Dementors' by August Schwaetzer –please don't take that seriously! I doubt an Auror would reach you before the Dementors even if you send an emergency fire-call and you can't learn the Patronus from a leaflet that gives you nothing more than the incantation."

Harry opened the box of the Boggart and braced himself for his worst memories. He had expected his parents' death and only when he had told Hermione about his plan had she pointed out that he had another _really _bad memory since he had last faced a Dementor. Of course she was right. Although he could still hear his parents' voices in the background the taunting of Sirius and Bellatrix' answers were much more clear.

Harry could see the arc and the veil and his godfather falling... he quickly stuffed some chocolate into his mouth and to his relief the Room of Requirement came back into focus and the voices became muffled. He saw that Hermione had taken charge of the DA and instructed the members. Suddenly the cold lifted a bit –Padma had produced her Patronus, a stork.

And then, it seemed, her success spurred the others on. Hermione's otter jumped forward and Ron's fox joined her. Neville eyed his huge bear proudly, Parvati admired her flamingo and Zacharias' Patronus for the first time took a solid shape, a snake. A dog, an elephant, a butterfly and something nobody had seen ever before, but Luna claimed it was a Snorkack. More and more shining animals crowded the room and charged at the Dementor, who turned and searched but could not escape and finally fled back into the box.

For a moment there was a stunned silence and the Patroni slowly faded since they had nothing to do anymore. Then loud cheering broke out and DA members could be seen yelling and jumping and dancing over the room, celebrating their victory. Harry smiled tiredly but proudly. It had cost him much but it was worth it; the DA had fought their first Dementor and won.

After they had calmed down they repeated the whole ordeal a few more times, the last time with everyone facing the Dementor alone. Dennis Creevey and Justin Finch-Fletchley were the only ones that couldn't do a corporeal Patronus by the end of the lesson, everyone else managed to drive away the Dementor.

The DA left in a euphoric mood and Harry went to Gryffindor tower with his friends. He was exhausted and wanted to take a nap but not even the sight of a crying Paul Wheeler –_again! _-could subdue his grand feeling.

* * *

_**A.N.:** Longest chapter so far! Thanks for the reviews!_

_**samyjoc** -Hope you like what the slimy, evil Slytherin wanted. Though he isn't really that evil... or is he...?_

_**Muus **-Thanks, und 'August Schwätzer' ist ganz allein für dich!_


	10. Before the Storm

**Chapter 10: Before the Storm**

_Ministry Decree No. 788743/7448: Concerning Safety and Order for Wizards and Witches of the British Isles_

_The Ministry of Magic hereby declares that all witches and wizards are forbidden to panic or to spread panic to other wizards and witches. _

_Especially forbidden are: newspaper articles that will cause worry and fear to the public, expressing any opinions of fear or distrust of the Ministry or the current Minister in public or private, leaving the country without a good reason or the intent to return, changing your lifestyle in a way that shows fear or distrust in the Ministry's ability to protect you, expressing..._

The new leaflet, that was distributed to all wizarding households in Britain and hung in every common room of Hogwarts, went on like that for another four pages. Harry doubted that anyone (besides Percy, probably) would read all of it. Despite the Decree –and despite the newspapers now mostly printing articles like 'Celestina Warbeck lifts secret of her colour-changing toenails' or 'How to spell your parrot to sing the latest hits' –stories about wizarding families fleeing the country or excessively buying dubious security measures on the black market were flying around the school.

Obviously the Ministry could not control the behaviour of every witch or wizard but instead it controlled the newspapers, public places, popular persons (Harry was sent a personal copy of the Decree, -and asked himself if Umbridge had anything to do with it) and Hogwarts. Fudge himself was seen meeting with all the Professors and Rookwood's eyes seemed sharper than ever.

But what swept Harry's good mood away faster than a Slytherin Quidditch victory was the realisation that after this Decree the Hogsmeade weekend would definitely take place.

* * *

Quidditch became a refugee for Harry, the only time he wouldn't think of the upcoming attack. While Ron drilled the other players in new strategies, Harry would mostly fly around, at the highest speed his Firebolt could manage, and just feel the wind in his face and hair. 

During the long practises Kirke and Sloper had at least gained some endurance and now hopefully would last a whole game, though their aim was still off and more often than not they swung their bats at a Bludger and missed it completely. Ginny was the best of the Chasers by far but she often got impatient when the other two couldn't keep up with her and then tried to make all the scores on her own. This didn't go over well with Richard Burkes and he protested avidly and longishly when she messed up sure chances because she didn't pass him the Quaffle. Joanne Tailor, their third Chaser, was just quiet.

Ron got increasingly desperate with his Quidditch team that apparently was no team at all.

"Ginny! Didn't you see that Richard was just above the hoop? Why didn't you pass to him?! You can't carry on like that!"

"Like what? Seems like I'm the only one who's able to play a halfway decent game, why shouldn't I try to make as many goals as I can? And you should rather train them better than yell at me! But maybe you're just not good enough as a trainer!"

"You... How can you? You won't play again until you stop this childish behaviour! We are a team! You have to play like one!"

"You can't order me around like that." Ginny threw her broom over her shoulder. "And I don't even want to play in a team with such useless Chasers in it!"

After she had stormed off the pitch their reserve, Elizabeth Eaton, played Chaser but was clearly not as good as Ginny. Grudgingly Ron asked his sister to come back to the team after a few more practises but the other Chasers had not forgotten her comment about their uselessness.

Harry heard all the arguments; however he had decided that this was not his problem –he would not start worrying about it, he already had enough on his plate. Quidditch would only be a time for relaxation and fun for him this year –and a fierce competition during the matches –but no serious problem he would spend his time and energy on.

Although today he could not help but notice the changes that happened at Hogwarts as well as in the whole wizarding world. From his position high up in the sky he could see wizards working at the edges of the Hogwarts' grounds, waving colourful patterns of magic, building walls, drawing lines. Sometimes three or more of them would form a circle; some stood alone facing the Forbidden Forest with their arms raised. They were Aurors from the Ministry, some Unspeakables, a Safety Charmer and of course the teachers. Dumbledore had announced at lunch that they would strengthen the wards and increase the security of the school and that the students shouldn't get into their way until they were finished. Harry remembered the search for the hole in the wards and hoped the Aurors and teachers would close it, whatever it was. With the more frequent DA meetings and now Quidditch neither he nor his friends did have the time to research it.

Fascinated and forgetting about the Snitch Harry watched as one of the wizards began to wave his wand in a complicated move and produced a red web of thin threads that spread around him and started to cover the ground. Suddenly a patch of grass near the wizard caught fire –bright blue flames. The wizard turned his head and the thin red threads hesitated for a moment before –with a growling like a faraway thunder- whipping back and wrapping themselves around the screaming wizard. The others ran to him as he fell down but didn't seem able to help him until the screaming and writhing stopped as abruptly as it had begun. An Auror extinguished the flames. The whole Quidditch team watched horrified as Professor Sprout floated the now still form of the wizard to the castle.

"Is he dead?" Joanne whispered, and despite the situation Harry's first thought was that he had heard her voice for the first time.

No one knew and Ron ended the practise there, so they all trudged silently back to the castle. Rookwood arrived just after them but nobody wanted to ask him about the web and the wizard. He gave them a piercing stare, then ushered them in.

"You should be inside. This is not the right time for children to play out there."

Without waiting for a response he swept away.

After they had told her about the wizard and the web Hermione gasped shocked, then nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, I think I know what it is –a Hunter's Net. It's a very effective way of protection but terribly difficult to cast. The slightest slip of concentration can cause the web to turn against you and might be fatal."

"Oh, _fine_! Now that we know what it is _everything _is OK and we can all go happily back to our _homework_, can't we?" Ron snapped sarcastically.

Hermione's eyes became wide. "I didn't mean... I didn't want to say..." But he had already turned around and walked off out of the common room.

"I know you didn't mean it like that, Hermione." Harry assured her as she continued to stare at the portrait hole. "Ron's just upset from the whole thing... it was horrible... He doesn't seriously think what he said."

"Oh, right, Harry, you're surely right." Swallowing hard Hermione stood up and with her head held high she rigidly went up to the girl's dormitories.

Feeling helpless and like a terrible friend Harry remained sitting by the fire. _Had there been tears glistening on her cheeks? And where had those blue flames come from?_

* * *

It seemed like the end of Ron and Hermione's friendship. Sure, there were no rows, no arguments, no talking about the dead wizard at all, but they behaved around each other like strangers from then on. Hermione began spending more and more time in the library and planning DA meetings and Ron withdrew completely from everything and everyone. Neither of them acknowledged their argument when Dumbledore raised his glass in memory of the dead Auror after dinner. 

For the first time since he had returned to Hogwarts Harry noticed himself brooding over Sirius again, feeling the desperation and loneliness, the guilt and the self-doubt. And, of course, the weight of the prophecy.

Strangely it was Luna who helped Harry most during that time. She would suddenly pop up in the most unlikely places and times –once she literally fell on him while he was walking to Charms. Harry did not ask why she had been sitting on a chandelier but she somehow always managed to get his thoughts away from the darker and more depressing subjects.

Another source of hope and light moments were the DA meetings. After managing the Patronus the members seemed determined to repeat the success with other spells and to put them into practise during their duels. They progressed at a rate Harry hadn't thought possible and soon he had to look up new, more challenging spells.

In the third week of October he finally decided to try a completely new approach. After dividing them into two groups he gave them a few minutes to devise a strategy and then gave the signal to fight each other. Needless to say it was an absolute chaos –and after five minutes none of the members was left standing and able to fight.

Harry blew his whistle for good measure and Ernie and Anthony, who were still half-heartedly exchanging spells even as they were lying on the floor, ceased their efforts and helped him to bring everyone else back to a sound body and mind. Luckily the worst that had happened was a badly bleeding arm where Colin Creevey had been hit with a stray icicle. Hermione, Neville and Hannah Abbott managed to heal him fairly quickly and it didn't quell his excitement during the rest of the meeting in the least.

"Well, that was a disaster," said Padma candidly. "We didn't have a strategy, we didn't work together, we took out the members of our own side. –Sorry, by the way, Susan, I didn't mean to freeze you. –We need to keep a cool head during a fight like this and not forget everything we've learnt as soon as we hear Harry whistle."

"Yeah," Harry nodded. "I don't know how much of the fight you realised but I got the impression that you just fired off the first spell you could think of and then got knocked out by spells that weren't even meant for you."

Most DA members nodded slightly embarrassed at that. Ron answered thoughtfully, "Maybe we could do it like Quidditch." When everyone –except Hermione, who concentrated hard on polishing her wand -looked at him expectantly, he elaborated, "Like Chasers and Keepers. We could have some people in each group that focus on attacking and others who do protection spells. Of course we would have to work together better, and be flexible about it to adjust to the fight. Like a Chaser that grabs the Quaffle before the Keeper has to save a goal."

"And maybe something like Healers," Neville added. "Most of us were hit with a stunning spell, or _Impedimenta_, or similar curses that need only a simple counter curse."

They went on with the group fighting after that, trying out these ideas and various others. Harry decided to partake in the battles and let some other members take a break and give the signals –on the one hand he wanted to get some practise himself, on the other hand watching a fight would enable them to spot the most common faults easier than while they were in the middle of flying curses.

Parvati Patil gave the signal for the next fight to start and Harry immediately sent a stunner at the opposite team. Flashes of magic buzzed around him while he dived for cover behind a shield someone had conjured. Susan next to him got hit with an Impedimenta and Justin stumbled over her. Dennis Creevey was jumping up and down with excitement and got hit by a bludgeoning spell from his brother. Harry felt disorientated and then suddenly the shield broke. He doubled his efforts and fired off spells as fast as he could, all the while crouching low behind Susan's body. A Furunculus Hex meant for him hit her and Harry felt bad for using her as a shield, but he didn't have time to enervate her.

"_Quinquerare!" _Terry shouted behind him and protected by the new shield Harry could finally regain some of his wits. It wasn't as bad as it seemed –though there was a lot of magic flying around he could ignore most of it because it was either protection from his own group or hexes that got stopped by the shields.

Ron duelled with Zacharias Smith at the other side of the room; both of them were covered in rather nasty looking hex marks.

"Aaaarg!" Ginny had used her famous Bat-Bogey Hex against a screaming Lavender and Harry was glad he wasn't facing her. Then he didn't have time to look on any longer because he noticed Hermione getting nearer with her wand trained on him.

With a dangerous smile she mumbled a spell that Harry didn't hear but he decided to drop to the floor nevertheless. And it was a good thing he already was down there – her spell turned the floor into ice and with an _"Ow"_ several people lost their balance and hit the ground. All the protection spells around him broke and Hermione's smile widened.

Harry started as she moved her wand in one sweeping motion and conjured a tight net that moved in his direction. No, she wouldn't win that easily!

He countered with an _Incendio_ that made her falter but unfortunately some of the burning parts of the net dropped onto his robe, which nearly caught fire. Harry wrenched back and put up his own Protegro shield. While he scrambled away from Hermione he bumped right into Terry and that was nearly enough for her to get a stunner at him.

"Aah! Sorry! Stand back! Sorry!" Neville came skidding over the ice and Hermione stunned him instead immediately. But then she had to jump aside to get out of his falling body's way and got onto the ice she had conjured herself.

"_Stupefy!"_

"_Stupefy!"_

Harry shouted the stunning spell at the same as Terry next to him and between the two spells Hermione couldn't dodge fast enough and dropped to the ground stunned.

Harry exchanged a quick glance with the Ravenclaw, then they moved on to the rest of the fighting DA members. There were only a few left and Harry threw himself into the battle with Terry doing most of the defencive work. It went on a bit longer like that -and then Harry saw a red spell speeding up at him from the corner of his eyes but before he could react he got hit and everything went black.

In the end Ron was the last one able to continue –if you didn't count Lavender that is, who _could_ have continued but was hiding under some tables from the Bat-Bogeys.

They had started at ten o'clock on Sunday morning, skipped lunch –except a few sandwiches provided by the Room of Requirement –and kept on until late in the afternoon. They had tried fighting in pairs, always one attacker and one defender, and in small teams within the groups, they had tried some sort of a chain of command with one chief in each group giving orders, and they had tried to plan a whole fighting strategy in advance, with the coordinated use of different spells by every member.

Ron had led a group during that last strategy, which involved soaking their opponents, fog, the Bat-Bogey Hex, confounding and freezing charms. It would have worked had not Hermione at the last moment thought of a clever storm spell that thoroughly shook up their minutely planned attack and before they could reorganise themselves they had been overwhelmed.

When they left shortly before dinner they had not found the ultimate way to fight in a chaotic battle but had gained at least some experience; and were all thoroughly exhausted.

Harry was glad the DA was coming along nicely but at the same time concerned about his own achievements. True, he was better than most DA members, but was that enough? The prophecy had singled him out; he could not hide between the others.

So during his next free period, while Ron and Neville were in Divination and Hermione in Ancient Runes, Harry walked in front of the Room of Requirement, turned three times and concentrated hard on an opponent for a duel. When he opened the door and stepped in he instantly froze.

He had not been specific enough about his wish –or maybe _too _specific. Cold red eyes stared at him, the snakelike face twisted into a cruel smile and the long, skeletal fingers pointed the wand at him. Harry gasped and then suddenly got the power over his unmoving limbs back. In one fast movement he was out of the room and closed the door with a bang.

_It could not really be Voldemort, could it? Another Voldemort? Could he come out?_ But nothing happened and when his heartbeat had calmed down somewhat Harry remembered that nothing could be taken out of the Room of Requirement –Hermione had once tried to take some defence books with her but they simply vanished when she stepped through the door.

He took a deep breath and gathered his courage to try again –thinking about _an opponent he could control_ this time. Once inside a much less frightening sight awaited him. A figure in dark cloak and with a featureless face stood staring at the wall. It didn't move.

"Erm," Harry said, "How does this work? Do I tell you what to do?"

The figure nodded.

"OK, I want you to duel me when I say '_Begin_'. You won't use any lethal spells, or the Unforgivables. You stop when I loose my wand or when I tell you to stop. Understood?"

It nodded again.

"Good. Then, er, _begin_."

At once the figure raised its wand.

When Harry thought about it later the best word to describe it was 'intense'. The figure provided by the Room was better than he was. It was faster, knew more spells and had a few tricks up his sleeve that fooled him every time. But in the end he had managed to grasp a few of these tricks -for example, how to choose your spells so you could combine the wand movements and fire them off faster.

So Harry started to train a while before every DA meeting and whenever he had some spare time –which wasn't very often. He did not know if that would be enough but it was the best he could manage.

* * *

On Tuesday, the last week of October, Graham Cole dropped a load of Manticore dung onto Harry's cloak during Herbology. Harry found the short note _"same time, same place"_ when he cleaned away the dirt, asking himself if it was some required trait for all Slytherins to behave as unpleasant as possible all the time. 

But during the meeting in the evening Cole was polite, and businesslike. "I've overheard Malfoy talking with Crabbe and Goyle over the weekend. He wasn't very careful about it –apparently he had told them this before, several times. The Slytherins have signed up for the Hogsmeade weekend as usual, but on Saturday morning Malfoy will convince nearly everyone to stay –I think they're going to pretend they ate some bad food. The only ones that he won't hold back are the Muggleborns."

Harry sighed. It seemed it was definitely going to happen. "Who knows about this? I mean this can't be only Malfoy's plan... Has he really that much influence in Slytherin?"

"Everyone knows who his father is... Even when he was in prison he still had a lot of influence. There are other students whose parents are Death Eaters, some of them might know about Hogsmeade, too. In any case they'll listen to Malfoy, and help him. And the others... well, you don't cross Malfoy."

"And you?"

Cole's face became more guarded. "What about me?"

"Are you going? Will Malfoy convince you?"

"I didn't sign up."

Harry had the distinct feeling that there was something more, something the Slytherin didn't tell him but he couldn't put his finger on it. While he was still trying to figure it out Cole turned to move away. "I have to go back. I can't stay out after curfew too often or someone might get suspicious."

Then he was gone and Harry was left to wonder _who_ might get suspicious. Ron and Hermione sure _would_ have asked what he was doing but believed him still in Occlumency with Dumbledore. But Cole didn't seem to have any close friends.

After Harry left the Room of Requirement he had to fight the sudden urge to laugh hysterically. _There would be an attack on lots of Hogwarts' students, maybe the biggest attack of Voldemort so far, and he -_he_ -was the only one who knew about it, and he couldn't tell anyone, and a few students who hadn't had many decent Defence lessons were the only ones to protect the others..._

"Are you OK, dear?" asked the fat lady concernedly.

"_Four-leaf clover_"

She crossed her arms and muttered about "_bad mannered youths! In my time children were taught how to behave properly!_" while he climbed in through the portrait hole and ignored her.

Hermione was sitting at in one of the chairs, with books covering every available space around her. Harry remembered her knitting hats for the house-elves last year and wondered why she hadn't said a single thing about S.P.E.W since they had returned to Hogwarts. She sighed and stretched her arms before picking up a slim book again. From the neat, red paperback Hermione had in her hands now to the dusty, leather-bound tome at her feet Harry knew what she was reading; they were all Defence books.

Deciding not to disturb her –and because he did not want to face any questions about his strange mood –he went up straight to his dormitory.

"...can't. He's seen Cedric die, and Sirius. He's still –I don't know, we've never really talked about Sirius, you know?"

Harry stopped dead in front of the slightly open door.

"But I know he's not yet over it -if you can ever get over something like that. He certainly doesn't need me whining over some wizard I didn't even know. _I_ myself don't know why it matters that much to me." Ron's voice hoarsely continued.

"Don't you think he'd understand? He-" It was Neville's patient voice that answered.

"Of course he would. But he's already got enough to worry about. And besides, what would he think of me... I mean..." Ron trailed off.

Harry could almost see his best friends' ears getting red and retreated quietly from the door. It must have cost Ron a lot to admit that to Neville, and he would definitely not like it if he found out that Harry had heard it. He had hoped Ron would eventually tell him about the wizard, and why it had shocked him so much. Sitting down in one of the armchairs in the corner of the common room Harry surveyed the Gryffindors. Last year he, Ron and Hermione had been sitting together near the fire. Now the rowdy bunch of first years occupied their seats.

Leaning back in his chair Harry stared at a painting in the opposite corner, whose inhabitant must have walked out of the frame, and waited until either Ron or Neville would come downstairs again or Seamus or Dean would go up to sleep.

* * *

Harry looked out of the dormitories window. There should have been a storm raging on, or at least some dark clouds in the sky to match his feelings but the morning of the Hogsmeade weekend dawned brightly and the day promised to become sunny and warm. 

"I'm going to Zonkos first and then Honeydukes! And the Three Broomsticks! Hogsmeade is soo cool! My brother has told me everything about it!" Dennis Creevey had a group of third years standing around him, all of them equally excited about their first Hogsmeade visit. Dean and Ginny climbed laughing through the portrait hole out and Lavender checked her lip-gloss a last time in the reflecting windows before joining Parvati and Seamus on their way down to breakfast.

"Harry! Harry! –Something wrong with you? I've been calling you for five minutes! Let's get down to the Great Hall."

He followed Ron, barely registering Hermione's questioning face. Breakfast consisted of the older students remembering their first Hogsmeade weekends and anticipating a day outside of the castle, while the third years couldn't wait to finally see the village for themselves. The younger students listened enviously and consoled themselves by thinking about the Halloween feast in the evening. Harry crumbled his toast. Even the DA, even with all the practise they had done in the last few weeks and with his warning about Hogsmeade, was carefree and looking forward to the trip.

Over the heads of his fellow Gryffindors he could see that the Slytherin table was half-empty and suddenly he met Cole's gaze, who nodded once, nearly imperceptibly, before turning back to his plate.

And then breakfast was over and with most other students rushing to the entrance Harry, Ron and Hermione left the Hall and joined the line where Filch checked all the names off.

"-now, Severus, you can't just blame all the Gryffindors without proof! You can't prohibit them from going to Hogsmeade without any evidence at all!"

"Minerva, I hope you don't expect me to believe that half of Slytherin house just ate something spoiled while in none of the other houses _anyone_ feels the slightest bit ill? This was some sort of stupid prank and I'm well aware of from where most of the stupid pranks in this school originate! I don't see any reason why the Slytherins should miss the Hogsmeade trip while those who are responsible for it enjoy themselves."

"Be reasonable, Severus, -" McGonagall continued to argue while Harry for the first time ever wished Snape would be successful with his prejudices against Gryffindors. He suddenly wished he _had _done something with the food –with the food of the whole school, so everyone would be sick... -_Snape!_ _He was a spy! Shouldn't he know about the attack? Maybe that's why he was trying to hold them back. But no, then he simply could have told Dumbledore... _

Then McGonagall apparently had convinced Snape that without proof he couldn't do anything and Snape, with a last nasty look at Harry, turned back down to the dungeons, where the Slytherin common room was. Rather disappointed looking Filch continued to tick students off his list.

"Phew! I was becoming worried he'd get his way," Ron said.

"You know, it's kind of suspicious that only Slytherins became ill..." Hermione answered but Ron seemed to have already withdrawn into his own thoughts again.

"Mind if I come with you?" Neville joined them on their way through the gates of Hogwarts and was soon talking with Hermione about the importance of plants in healing draughts. Harry and Ron followed silently a few steps behind them.

Hogsmeade was not like Harry remembered it. Some of the smaller shops had obviously closed down and had 'For Sale' signs in the windows. There were nearly no villagers in the streets but lots of serious looking wizards stood in every corner. They seemed to try to blend in but in their dark blue cloaks -which were nothing special, except for the fact that each of them wore the same –it was a rather futile attempt. "They must be Aurors!" whispered Ron and a tall wizard near them, who had apparently heard him nevertheless, shot them a sharp look.

Harry was glad to see them. Even if the Ministry followed that stupid policy of 'nothing has changed and there is absolutely no danger' –and maybe that was why the Aurors _tried_ to be inconspicuous –they apparently wanted to make sure nothing happened to the Hogwarts' students. Harry grimaced. Most probably Fudge just didn't want his popularity drop even further.

Nothing happened during the morning. Hermione bought a book about ancient charms and Neville some toad-treats for Trevor; the toad apparently wasn't feeling too well. Even Ron brightened up a little in Honeydukes and Harry began to hope that it had been a false alarm. In the afternoon a cold wind began to pick up and they went to the Three Broomsticks for a hot Butterbeer.

Inside was barely any space left and they had to squeeze themselves around a tiny table right next to the door. Obviously most of the students had had the same idea and Ron and Neville barely managed get the Butterbeer for them all.

"Hiya Harry!" Dennis Creevey cried from the other side of the room, but over the laughing and talking he could barely be heard. Harry waved half-heartedly back. A fourth year girl was balancing five Butterbeers to a table of cheering classmates when she suddenly stumbled and the hot beverage along with shards of glass flooded the table of the now shrieking girls.

"Don't spread it, dears! I'll clean you up in a minute!" Madam Rosmerta waved her wand, muttering drying charms over the ruckus. At this moment Harry felt it. There was a coldness creeping up at them, a coldness that was not natural. A coldness like you would never be happy again.

He sat his glass abruptly down, grabbed his wand and turned to the door.

"Harry?"

He didn't listen. Slowly he opened the door and carefully looked outside. The wind blew up several leaves.

"What is it, Harry? Something wrong?" Ron stepped out next to him.

And then everything seemed to happen at once. Screaming students ran around a corner of the street. The Aurors were shouting and went into their direction. The small house at the corner collapsed suddenly. Around the corner came two huge figures. Harry had thought Grawp was big but apparently he was rather small for a giant.

People poured out of the Three Broomsticks to see what the commotion was about. Other people fled from the direction where the giants now were throwing debris at the Aurors.

A third giant rounded the corner and swung a young tree at two Aurors, sweeping them off the street and through the window of a shop. Two more giants followed him and began wreaking havoc among the Aurors.

The people in the street began to panic. Some wanted to seek refuge in the Three Broomsticks, whereas those inside did not want to become trapped in a building that might collapse just as easily if the giants set their mind to destroying it. Villagers from the houses and shops nearby joined them in the street, some running and screaming, others too shocked to move.

And then the coldness swapped over the street like a wave of icy water and turning around Harry saw that on the other side of the street, opposite of the giants, Dementors were gliding nearer. Harry knew they lived off happy thoughts but apparently they feasted on fear and panic as well. The students and villagers were trapped between them and the giants, and they were in no hurry to attack.

Everybody began to run in different directions. Harry had lost Neville and Hermione in the crowd, only Ron was still near him. He saw Anthony with several Ravenclaws fleeing from the Dementors, and Seamus and the Patil twins running in the opposite direction, away from the giants. Ernie dragged a young Hufflepuff boy along who was paralysed by the Dementors. Few and far between were witches and wizards that had the presence of mind draw their wands and use their magic.

Harry saw the fleeing students and residents of Hogsmeade and in a moment of amazing clarity could see the massacre this would end in if no one did anything. "DA!" he screamed, "Stop! Fight!"

* * *

_**A.N.:** I know, I know... It's been a while... -Real life has been interfering, and then my computer broke down and wouldn't let me upload anything... But it _should_ get better now._

_As you might have noticed I changed my name slightly -I finally managed to get the ' __in Fortuna'__s. Really don't know why that didn't work before. Hope it doesn't create any problems._

_And for all those who are on AuthorAlert: I will re-upload several chapters from my other fic, that have been beta'd. So feel free to ignore them, and don't get your hopes up -I'm not _that_ fast!_

_Please R&R!_


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